My new 'now'
by Masasa
Summary: Kaito Shion, now forced to go to school due to circumstances, must adjust to normal high school life. It won't be easy with the way he used to live his life; with no social skills or interest making new friends and a past almost no one seems to know. How will others deal with him? Rated M for later chapters and some of the humor. LukaXKaito
1. Causing problems on the first day

**Hey, this is my first story, hope you enjoy it, it's going to be a long one. Just so you know, doing character descriptions on their clothing tires me out so you can assume they're wearing their usual style of clothes unless I point it out after the first chapter.**

'Ah man, I really don't want to go to high school, but I don't have much of a choice now.' Thought a blue haired teen roller blading on the sidewalk. He wore dark blue pants and blue and white shoes, his blue t-shirt under his white jacket that had a blue line going around the entire edge of it. Though his ziped up zipper stopped right above the waist on his jacket, it seperated from there and ran down almost to his ankles; you could only see his lower body from front as the jacket covered his legs from the sides and back. The long sleeves on it had a blue, yellow, blue strip at the end where his hand popped out. To finish his attire he donned a long blue scarf wrapped around his neck and booth ends trailed down his sides and stopped at the knees.

"Oni-chan it's the first day of school and more importantly your first day in eleven years, so hurry up onnii-chan!" Said a girl who wore a white dress similar with her brothers style of white and blue on it, the lower half done in swallow-tail style, the dress is backless stopping below the shoulder blades. She wears white detached sleeves with a blue cuff, and brown knee-length boots and also dressed with the same blue scarf around her neck down trailing down to her knees. She held on to the back of his jacket while trying to mantain her balance on her own roller blades.

"Well I would, but you're slowing me down Kaiko, you told me not to go too fast."

"But I can't skate on my own, so I have to cling on you. Whaaa! T-too fast again slow down again!" Squealed Kaiko as she clung on harder to her brother.

"Ok. So what does a highschool look like again?"

Kaiko thought about it for a bit before blurting out the answer. "That big building right there! Stop at the benches near the entrance!"

"Gotcha." Kaito maneuvered around groups of students walking toward the entrance, doing a slight drift as they reached the benches and sat down together.

"Trust me oni-chan, school will be tons of fun and you'll learn to make some friends." Said his sister as she detached the rollerblades from the bottom of her brown boots. Kaito looked at her funny.

"I have like three friends, thats a lot."

"Yeah, me, Benkai and Ginzo. Still you need _school_ friends your age, so try your best okie day?" Kaiko stood up, using her index finger poked her brothers nose.

"There's a lot of people here, can I go home and never come back?" Kaito smiled hopefully.

"Nnnope!" She grinned as poked his nose again.

Kaito frowned at his misfortune. 'I liked how things were before, now I'm stuck here five days a week for eight hours.'

Kaiko reached in her detached sleeves, pulled out two pieces of papers and handed one to her brother. "You're in class 3-D, don't forget it ok? Alrightly I'm off to find IA, Rin and Len! Stay out of trouble!" She exclaimed as she ran off inside to find friends while wailing her arms in a silly manner as she ran.

'There went my sister; ahh I don't really want more friends, I have so many, three! How is that not a ton, we always have so much fun, why would I need more?' Kaito pondered as he took off his skates, stood up and headed inside.

* * *

The blue haired wanderer kept roaming the halls in search of his destination, getting more bored and tired by the second, even though the elapsed time was only five minutes. Kaito's expression was a completely stotic and emotionless, displaying how much he was enjoying himself here. Then he had found a sign that said 3-D, with an open door next to it. There was blading old man in a white dress shirt and brown khakis.

"I haven't seen you here before, I presume your Kaito?"

Kaito nodded in response, keeping his bored, stotic expression present.

"Excellent, wait here after the bell, when I call for you come in the class, understood?"

Kaito mimicked his answer from before.

* * *

"Hey did you hear guys, we have a new kid coming in our class today?" Spoke a teal haired girl who was talking with someone behind her seat.

"Transfer? Just moved here recently or from another class?" Inquired a girl with long pink hair and ocean blue eyes.

"Don't know, I just been hearing rumors on it, I really hope its a girl though. She could be apart of our super fun group, and then no one needs to take turns being the third wheel!"

"Are you pushing that because its your turn to be the third wheel in our club this week, Miku?" Said a girl with short brown hair, wearing a red sleeveless jacket and matching red skirt with black shorts underneath; getting in her seat next to Miku.

"Heh heh, you caught me Meiko, but come on a fourth would be great, Yowane's too shy, Gumi's not interested and IA is hanging with those three all the time and shes a year younger then us! Luka back me up." Miku whined.

"Voting decides it then, all in favor of recuiting the new kid if its a girl?" Proposed Luka.

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Motion passes." She said ever so calmly.

"By the way have you seen the guy standing outside the classroom, he's kinda cute looking ya know?" Meiko asked.

"That might the new kid."

"Dah! I didn't think of that. Leave it to Luka to put the pieces together!"

Miku decided to intervene at that time. "Well I know one thing for sure now." She said in a serious tone. Luka and Meiko cautiously looked at their almost always happy go lucky bestfriend, wondering what could have made her have such a change in attitude. "I'm telling the guy out there you thought he's cute!"

Meiko lunged from her seat and grabbed the teal haired girl's arm, catching her half way out of her seat. "I said kinda and it was to be nice! Hatsune you keep your big mouth shut or I swear to god I will destory every leek you bring to school!" Meiko shouted out, her cheeks brazed with red.

"N-n-not the leek! Anything but my precious leeks! Luka support, support!" She turned to Luka to see her reading a book. "Luka, S.O.S! 911! Call a crossing guard, anything!"

Luka turned a page, bent down to her suitcase, took out a bookmark and placed it in the book as she shut it. "Guilty as charged, take a vow of silence or you'll be at the mercy of the Meiko jury of one." Luka said simply.

"Gah! No help! Ok, ok I give, vow of whatever accepted, just leave my leeks alone and let go, you're gripping too hard!" She said as she sat back in her seat, Meiko releasing her grasp.

* * *

_Ding Dong Ding Dong._ The school bell rang, signaling the start of the day.

"Alright, alright everyone in your seats, homeroom is starting now. Now before we begin, I would like to introduce a new student, he's lived here for almost his whole life and now he's joining our highschool at the start of the year, if any of you know him please save the chit chat for after class. Kaito, you may enter."

Kaito walked in and stood in front of the class nonchanluntly. 'Whoa theres like... twenty-nine people in here. Why are there so many? Man, I'm stuck with so many people for a year, I thought a class was with five or six people like when I was a kid. I'm not used to this.'

"Kaito, introduce yourself to everyone." Kaito simply raised his hand and waved.

"Uhh, ok thats fine too. Your seat is second from the back in the middle row, please take it."

Kaito nodded and walked to his seat.

"Not much of a talker is he?" Miku whispered.

"Could be like Yowane, except with a bored face instead of a scared one." Luka whispered back.

Meiko chimed in their conversion. "Too bad, looks like your the third wheel this week Miku."

Miku sighed and hung her head low in defeat.

* * *

Everyone in class read along with the teacher as he read excerpts from famous writers. Luka looked up from her textbook and to the new student. Kaito was sound asleep in class his head buried in his arms and big blue scarf. 'Sleeping in class on the first day? He's not that responsible is he? I should wake him up before he gets in trouble, but he's too far away. I hope he doesn't get caught.'

At that moment Kaito's ear twitched. Slowly, his head rose from his desk simultaneously as his eyes did. He then stood up from his desk and stretched his arms out. The students all turned their attention to the new blue haired boy who woke from his nap.

'Oh no, your not suppose to attract attention when you wake up! Heard of subtl-' Luka's thought was cut off as Kaito sprinted out of the classroom leaving a small wind felt by everyone.

Every student had their jaws drop in a instant at what they just witnessed. The teacher looked behind him for a second when he felt the wind but shrugged his shouldars and decided to start writing on the board.

'Where would he-' Once again her thoughts were cut off, this time by a student next to the window.

"Guys he's outside." He whispered.

Everybody went to the window to see Kaito outside running up to a small square truck which stopped and opened up the huge side window near the rear of it. There they saw him hand over money to the man behind window, which returned with a vanilla ice cream cone with the ice cream swirled up eight full inches up from the cone.

Everyone's thoughts in the classroom were in perfect harmony. 'He ran out for ice cream!? How'd he even know it was coming?! Why is the ice cream piled so high up!? That can't be healthly! Who would sell him that, how much does it even cost!? Why isn't he wondering why a random kid is out buying his ice cream during school hours!? Now he's walking back! The teacher is totally going to notice that ice cream when you come back in, hell he'll notice you when you walk back in the door!'

"No volunteers? There has to be someone who knows the an-... EVERYONE BACK IN YOUR SEATS NOW!" Screamed the teacher who had realized the class had all gathered around the window.

In a mere three seconds everyone was set in stone at their seats.

"I don't care what was so intersting out there, but you keep you're eyes on the board and textbooks; And you keep your butts in your seat!"

"Yes Sensei!"

"Now someone answer the question on the board." As the teacher turned back to the board thats exactly when Kaito walked in, with half his ice cream finished. He passed the teacher right as he was turning so he was never seen returning to his seat.

'Wait... I don't remember seeing Kaito in his seat.' The second he finished turning, Kaito sat in his seat. "Oh, good for a second I thought you were gone. I know it's your first day but please don't take today's actions of the class cause you to act out and break school rules. I esure that this almost never happens."

Kaito nodded. Everyone's brain went into shock induced state. No one could believe he got away with it and odds are he wasn't even trying to.

"Sensei, if I may speak." Spoke a long purple haired boy at the front row next to the window, wearing a purple kimono and had a wooden sword attached to his waist.

"You may, Gakupo."

"Earlier, Kaito left the classroom to get ice cream, which drew everyone's attention to the windows, therefor responsible for actions of the class, not ignoring the fact he broke school regulation of leaving the premises without permission and cutting class."

"Is there any evidence supporting your claim." Asked the teacher.

"Well for one he's eating said ice cream now."

He turned his head to indeed see Kaito licking his ice cream which was almost completely eaten.

"Kaito... do you deny any of this?"

Kaito shook his head and finished the last bit of his snack he had left.

"Gakupo, as a member of the disiplinary committe, please escort Kaito to the displine office for his punishment."

Luka sighed at Kaito's future punishment. 'Poor guy, he almost pulled it off, if only Gakupo didn't say anything, but he can't do that.'

"Don't wanna." Kaito said in a dead tone.

"It's not up for debate, these ar-"

"Actually, if I may interject sensei."

"S-sure. What is it?"

"There was a new rule passed at the end of last year, for students who make their first offenese can challange a disiplinary officer in a fight for a pardon of their violation." The classroom teacher was befuddled at this new information. "Though it is unfair considering what the offender has to overcome, even though he challenges that one officer, the officer picks two more to assist in the battle, while the challenger must fight alone. This measure was taking to prevent the challenger from winning so we could display the disiplinary committie strength, put down the current deliquent before he strays too far from the right path, and show future offenders that we can easily supress them. To prevent any mishap or it going to far, the cheif excutive will oversee the duel."

"I-I see. Well if Kaito excepts then we can skip his trip to the office and let the disiplinary committe handle it at a later date. So what is your decision?"

All eyes were on Kaito, exaiming the slightest move he might make. Kaito shrugged his shouldars and nodded. 'Don't know what the samurai said, don't care, I need a nap.'

Miku whispered back to Luka. "You work with Gakupo during lunch, me and Meiko will try to get the new kid to back down from this. Meet up with us after you're done."

Luka looked Miku straight in the eyes with resolve in hers. "You got it." Luka looked over to Gakupo. 'I know you'll do the right thing.'

* * *

"Haven't seen you since the end of last year, how you been?" Asked Luka.

"Fine, I guess. Your outfit looks as nice as ever. Reminds me of bass instraments." Gakupo commented.

Luka's outfit was a long black skirt with yellow on the edges of it, also the skirt revealed a portion of her left leg. Her feet had knee high yellow boots with black stocking going up to her mid thigh. around her waist were two belts with the same triangle pattern switching from black and yellow. Like others she wore a sleeveless jacket, similar in her design to her skirt but on her chest area she has a gold curl design on her chest mimics brass instruments and a circulatory organ. From her elbow to her wrist, her black detached sleeve on her right arm would somewhat resemble a remote of sorts.

"Thanks, uh, thanks." She said nervously.

"So do you want to dance around more or tell me whats on your mind?" Gakupo grinned.

Luka giggiled at how obvious it must have looked. "I came to talk about the new kid, Kaito."

Gakupo's face became much more serious. "Don't worry Luka, he'll be put back on the right path soon enough." He gripped the sword at his waist a little tighter.

"No Gakupo, I was hoping you could call it off and forget about this, its the first day of school and he's new here, couldn't you give him a warning and move on."

"You know I can't do that, besides he made it official, I merely presented another option. Theres no point, he accepted and doesn't seem to care for the consequences or this, if anything this would be a good lesson for him to learn. I gotta go meet up with the committe for lunch like always, I'll see ya around Luka." Gakupo got up from his seat and started to walk away when he felt a tug on his kimono.

He turned to see Luka with a upset expression on her face. "Kamui Gakupo."

'F***king shit.' Gakupo sighed in defeat. Once he heard her say his full name he knew he had to compromise something or he'd get hell later. "If... you get him to withdraw his challange by the end of today I'll... get him off with just one day of detention for an hour and it he'll kept a clean slate in his records, alright? Only if he withdraws, no exceptions."

Luka's demenor changed to a more pleased expression. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, now I really don't want to be late so the rest is up to him."

Luka nodded as she let him go off and exit the classroom. She looked over to her friends talking to Kaito and hoped they made some way with him, since she was done convicing Gakupo she went to see if she could assist her friends.

* * *

"Gakupo is really good with his sword, ya know he comes from a real samurai family." The teal twin pigtailed haired girl said.

'Huh, I was just joking when I thought that.'

Meiko decided it was her turn to try. "You wouldn't want to avoid a week of detention and risk getting your pretty face all bruised and scratched up right?"

Kaito shrugged as always. "I gotta go meet someone for lunch, bye."

He said simply and quickly as he got out his seat and headed toward the door. Just then Luka seat down next to her friends. "Oh, you guys are done. I got Gakupo to lower the his punishment down to a one hour detention for just a day and he won't make it appear on his school record if he decides to step down, how'd you guys do?"

Both girls buried their heads in their arms on the desk in depression. "Oh I see... good for you... way to go..." Miku and Meiko said in perfect sync.

"Nothing, really?"

Meiko spoke first. "We tried but he didn't seem to care."

Miku went next. "He only talked at the end, and that was to tell us he's leaving to meet someone, everything else was a shrug... Wait... Now that you're here, with the three of us we can totally get through to him! Who doesn't listen to three super cute girls?"

"Someone who didn't with two." Meiko said flatly.

"Third times the charm right?" Miku said optimisticly, but Luka couldn't help point out the loop hole in that logic.

"Wouldn't this be the second time though?"

"Dah! Eh, details, details. Lets run after him before he we lose him!" Miku ran straight out the classroom. Luka looked at Meiko questioningly, who could only mirror her untill they her a crash. "Gaaahhh! Ofppphhh. Hey, he was standing outside the classroom the whole time, go figure!"

* * *

"I thought you said that you were going to met someone for lunch?" Meiko asked Kaito.

"I am. I'm waiting out here where they'll see me."

"Oh, fair point." 'And here I thought he lied to avoid us.'

Miku nudged Luka while Meiko tried to hold a conversation with Kaito. "You try, you're our last shot."

Luka nodded. She stepped up to talk to the blue scarfed wonder. "Hey Kaito."

Kaito acknowledged her with a wave. An uncomfortable silence filled the air round them, it'd be obivous that any attempt to continue the coversation here would sound completley forced, but since she had already intiated it, she thought she might as well try finish it. 'My god, Gakupo was eaiser to talk to the first time I met him and he was so irritable back then, but at least he talked back a little.' "Uh- I- eh, about the fight, please just drop it."

Miku's and Meiko's expressions were dumbfounded at Luka's terriblely unfluid conversation. They both whispered. "Seriously!? That was so bad, use your mysterious cool charm on him or something."

Luka snapped her head back at him. "Like that'll work, he'll completely lose interest, he's not even interested now, he'll forget I'm even here if I try that!" She whisper shouted back.

"I don't see why, if he wants to fight so badly I'll do it just once."

"Gakupo doesn't want to fight, he wants t-"

"Yes, he does."

The three girls looked at him oddly. Luka questioned Kaito claim. "No he doesn't."

"Yes he does."

"No he doesn't."

"Yes he does."

"No. He. Doesn't."

"Yes. He Does."

"No he doesn't!" Luka screamed. Realizing the raise in her voice was attracting attention, she covered her mouth in embarrassment. Kaito leaned in her face and in a very soft, quiet voice said.

"Yes he does. ... Oh are we done playing opposites?"

'He thought this was a game!? Ughh I can't- I- errrr!' "You know what, go ahead, you seem like you need it." Luka crossed her arms, huffed, and turned away.

Miku laughed nervousily, this had gone nowhere from there last attempt, the only change was that Luka now had great disdain toward their new classmate. She put her elbow on Luka's shouldar, and crossed her left leg over the over, lean on her friend for support. "So why exactly you think Gakupo wants to fight you, he doesn't even know you."

"It's the look in his eyes, he wants something out of this fight, whatever it is, don't care. I just don't want to stay in school any longer then I have to." Kaito looked away to keep an eye out for the person he was waiting for.

"Whoa." Meiko and Miku said, the sentence even attracting back Luka attention, but she went to face her friends rather then him.

Meiko was the first who spoke. "The line, the stotic face, the fearlessness."

Miku spoke next. "The cute looks, queit, rule breaking as a new kid."

"You both sound like describing the main character of an anime."

"Exactly!" They both exclaimed.

Luka rolled her eyes at her friends. "No, not at all. Look at him, he's nothing like that, he's just a je-"

When she turned around to point out Kaito's bad qaulities she was at a loss for words when she saw his eyes. 'That stare... he's lost in some deep thought, his minds not even here anymore. If this is truely geniune, maybe he's not just a random j-'

"Ooonnni-chan!"

At that moment Kaito new expression could only be described as stupid happy. His face became filled with happiness and overflowed with joy. He turned and started running toward his sister that was running toward him in her usual silly fashion. "Kaiko!"

On his way toward her, he tripped but caught himself and conitued his mad dash. Kaiko jumped toward her brother's open arms, he grasped her and twirled her around before putting her down as ruffeling her hair. "I've been waiting forever, you have my lunch ya know."

"Nooooo, IA does, we'd starve without her, and she was making some finishing touches on it. You should have seen her in home ec, she was being-" A hand came from behind her and muffled her voice.

"Kaiko, don't stress it out so much, its no big deal." Said a girl with long pink hair, she wore a black shoulder-less top, black elbow sleeve cold shoulder circle top, pink pleated skirt, a black thigh high on her right leg, and black knee high with white stripes on the left leg. On her feet were white shin boots with a pink belt, and finally a black leg garter on her left leg.

Kaiko's muffeled voice keep going but none of it was understood. Kaito put a hand over the hand on his sisters, causing her sister to quiet down. "Thanks for making us lunch IA, without you, we'd have only burnt rice or a trip to the hospital for burn treatment."

IA grew a faint tint on her cheeks. "O-of course, I'll be by later for dinner too."

Meanwhile the trio of girls seemed as if all their spirit passed on without them, their notion of Kaito completly destroyed. All three's thoughts exactly the same. 'He's just a happy go lucky idiot... Gakupo's gonna kill him.'

**So whatcha think? Please leave reviews, it'd help give me energy to write. Btw, depending on how many reviews/follows I might make this a weekly update thing. Later!**


	2. My best friend Benkai

**Hey, a new chapter the next day? I guess I got excited that people are actually reading my story, so yay for the readers! Also, I read that review about paragraphs and quotations. Apparently, that affects how the reader enjoys reading it a lot by the way it's presented.**

** I wouldn't want to give you guys a hard time reading it like accidently re-reading sentences, losing your place when your reading, and also for breaks between here and there. As for the quotations, I tried putting an extra space before it starts and after it ends but the doc manger seems to reset that one action when I save; I'll need to figure something else for that. So enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

"Oh so you three are from my oni-chan's class?" Kaiko asked as they sat in the back of the school's flower field. They all sat in a circle, though there was a gap big enough for two more people to sit down in. "Yeppo, pretty much." Miku answered. "So you're his friends too!? Kaito I'm so proud, you actually made fri-" "No, no no were not his friends, we were trying to help him, but he'd rather dig his own grave." Luka said slightly miffed. Miku nudged her angry pink haired bestie. "Aw come on, still upset about that oppisite thing?"

Meiko thought she should explain the situation Kaiko. "It's just that Kaito kinda broke a rule and he had to options, fight three displinary officers or get a one hour detention that Luka luckily convinced Gakupo to lower it to that, refused, and then messed with Luka. Still who woulda thought he was your brother, I mean the looks and clothes are dead on, but I've never seen him around." "Oh that's because my oni-chan was homeschooled since he was five, but more more importantly..." Kaiko looked her brother straight in the eye and asked him in a restrained voice. "Is that true, are you getting in a fight on the first day, O. Ne. Chan."

Kaito did the only thing he could think of. He looked away, pursed his lipsed to the right, and started scratching the back of his head. "P-p-proBably not... or something...maybe." "Oni-Chan! I told you to not get in trouble and you go do it anyway!" "Ah well, they said if I win I get off with nothing so, its sort of fine right?" His sister's temper simmered down a bit. "Fine, but not one more like this got it?" Kaito give her a thumbs up and a smile. "Gotcha!"

"Hey, sorry we're late! The mess Rin made took a while to clean." Said a blonde haired boy as he and a girl who looked identical to him sat down. "It's Len's fault, he should have told me how hot it was!" "You just saw me pull it out of the oven, of course it was hot." "The food should only be warm, why the heck would the tray be?" She countered poorly. Len sighed and titled her head at IA. "Cooking partners, am I right?" Kaiko jumped in before IA could give an answer. "Uh, I'm an amazing partner, I taste test it and give her five stars every time." IA dropped a sweat at that. "Yeah, and I do the other ninety-five percent of work. Since everyone's here now, why don't we eat?" IA searched through her satchel and pulled out three boxed lunches and handed two of them to the blue siblings.

Kaito instantly took it and opened his lunch up. "Alright, I got shidashi style!" Kaito dug in his meal, shoving food in his mouth as fast as possible. Miku aww'ed at IA's care for the blue haired siblings. "You're so nice, I barely have time to make my own and you make a fancy resturant style one!" She took out her lunch from her backpack and started eating her's as well, Luka and Meiko following suit. As Len brought out their lunches, Rin asked a question. "So why are third years here? I don't have a problem with it, but only IA and Kaiko really know you." "Well, my oni-chan got in trouble, and Luka, Miku and Meiko are so nice, they tried to help him out but he's got it covered, right oni-chan?" Kaito swallowed his food before answering. "Yeah, I'll kick their asses quick." Len chimed in interest. "Whoa whoa whoa, thats your brother? He's the one you told Rin and I about?" "The one and only!" "Wow! Some of the stuff I heard is mind blowing, can I meet Benkai too?" Rin playfully pushed Len. "Don't be such a fan boy, it's not like he's famous or a star... by the way sign my arm in big letters, 'To the coolest blonde around, from Kaito Shion!' Come on, you're a mystery legend, I want proof that I met you." Rin shouted while sticking her arm out.

"What did you tell them?" Kaito asked his apparently big mouthed sister. "Not that much, just some of the stuff you, Benkai, and Leia did." "Ohhhh, most of that stuff was no big deal though." Luka scoffed in her head at what she was hearing. 'Legend? Yeah, right. The guy border lining on sis-con right now is some sort of legend and of what, breaking school rules like a moron.' Meiko felt uneasy. "Benkai? Where have I heard that name before?" Miku poked her friend. "Why don't you ask your gossip group, they know evey little rumor or story around town." Meiko whipped out her phone and texted at lightning speed. "Already on it. I'll meet them later during gym."

IA pulled out one more small box and opened it up. The inside was filled small white spherical balls. "Say ahh Kaito!" "Ahh, om. No way, its ice cream! Ahhh!" IA continued to feed Kaito. Luka couldn't help but be bothered by every little thing Kaito did. 'Seriously, now he's being feed? This makes it pretty obvious that she likes him. I bet he knows her feelings for him, but pretends to be oblivious.' A mischievous grin graced her face. "So Kaito what are you going to do about IA's feelings for you? You know she likes you." Miku lightly elbowed her friend in the rib. "Luka, this isn't like you, what are you trying to do?" "Just getting even for the 'game' from earlier."

IA froze, her face reddening as each second passed. Kaito decided to speak up since his source of ice cream had stopped coming. "Yeah I do and I've been thinking about it for a while now." IA broke out of her petrified state. "R-really?!" "Yeah, and I kinda like you too and I've known you for four years now. You're nice, fun, you cook good food, you give me ice cream, Kaiko, Benkai, and Ginzo like you so... Yup I got it now. IA wanna be my friend?" He asked innocently, holding his fist out. "Y-yes, I love to!" IA bumped his fist happily. Luka face remained calm but her mind was puzzled, she couldn't comprehend him. 'Is he that dumb? How could he mixed up what I said with that!' Meiko put her hand on Luka's elbow. "Nice try, I don't think he'll get it." 'On the bright side, it sounds like he's available.'

It was then, Gakupo came. "Sorry for the intrusion, but I'll need his answer now, somethings come up." Miku jumped up from her spot and stood before talking to Gakupo. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, you said till the end of the day though. When'd it change to now or never?" "People in our class can't help their big mouthes and my supeirors became informed on the situation." Miku looked to Meiko with a questioning look, the red wearing brunette putting her hands up in the air. "Hey, I only get it for you guys, I don't spread it!" "Regardless, they want an answer now, so what'll be Shion?"

Rin spoke up next. "Wait, how do you know his last name?" "Disiplinary officer. We're given acess to student information when we work on their school behavioural records. Besides, out of everyone here, your voice was the only one audible one from the school's back door. Anyone outside could have heard you asking for his autograph for some strange reason." Rin rubbed the back of her head in embarresment. Meanwhile Kaito was stealing some rice from his sister while she was distracted and poped it in his mouth. Gakupo closed the distance between him and the blue offender. "So what'll it be, are you backing down or-" Kaito spit out his rice at Gakupo's face. The purple samurai wiped off the rice from his face, turned around and started walking. "Tomorrow, in front of the school, right after school. If you're not there we're be authorized to hunt you down and drag you there."

"So guys, what do you about someone named Benkai." Meiko asked a pair of orange haired boys. "Benkai, Benkai... only one thing comes mind, heck, only one with that name to begin with." "Ah yes, yes. Never met him in person but man is he known well downtown, especially in the junkyard and with delinquents. What da ya wanna hear, the short version?" "Or the longer one?" "Just gimme what you guys got. Also, only one of you tell it! Both of you taking turns is annoying." "Alright, well to start off he pretty much known as the rustic king of that area."

Luka was jogging down the track wearing red shorts and a white t-shirt as was every other girl. "Megurine! Got the info!" Meiko shouted as she caught up. "Good, now Miku can stop sprinting." "What? Why's she doing that?" "She thought it would distract the teacher. I didn't believe her but it somehow worked, teacher's been watching her, telling the other kids to follow her example." "Thank god... you're back... Meiko." Miku said as she huff and puffed. "Hatsune, you all out of steam already? That was some outstanding running though, you should consider the track team instead of your club!" The coach yelled. 'I'm never running again, not even if I was being chased by a serial killer.' Miku said in her head.

Meiko took the chance to capitailize their gym instructor's good mood. "Hey coach, we've been running like Miku the whole time can us three take a break?" 'Bullshit! I was doing all the work!' Miku bitterly added in her mind. "Oh, of course! In fact, take the rest of the peroid off to recover, everyone else; I want twice as much effort now!" He said as he blew his whistle.

Meiko and Luka were sitting on a bench while Miku laid down on one next to them, lightly panting from before. "So where do I start... remember when it was really dangerous to go to the park or anywhere down town alone as a kid because of all the orphans going around beating kids up?" Miku and Luka shivered at the memories of when they came by. Miku, feeling less exhausted, joined in on the story. "Yeah, Gakupo usually was there to help keep them away but he ended up a punching bag for them like ninety-five percent of the time." "Well apparently Benkai was one too, but he would fight other orphans instead of people like us. After a long time, other orphans ended up following his example, taking out the bad ones causing trouble. Remember when like two-thirds of those kids just disappeared one day from the streets?" Both of them nodded. "Well that was the day when he apparently became the 'king' or whatever of that area and sent every bad kid from this town packing. He lives in a junkyard for some reason and that's where all the kids on his side go back to at night. There's no way that Kaito knows him though."

"Yeah, but why would Rin ask if she could met him there wasn't any chance of it?" Miku questioned. "Who knows, it is Rin, she's probably mixed up what she remembered Kaiko telling her." Luka thought it was her turn to ask a question. "And what about Kaito? Anything on him?" "Only that he really is Kaiko's older brother. The know it all gossips for once don't have a clue, go figure." Luka signed. "Probably wouldn't be anything good anyway. It's the first day of school, and look what he's done. Odds are he would have ended up in a fight." Miku finally felt her energy come back and sat up. "Man, you really don't like him Luka! Still, do you really want him beat up by three guys?" Luka sighed. "Nooo... but I helped lower the punishment, he had the chance to avoid it, and he basically threw back our efforts in our face like we were just bothering him. I just get the feeling that Kaito's the kind of person that only learns the hard way. I honestly don't think theres anything we can do but watch."

The last class of the day ended, most of the student body running out as fast as they could to get away and goof off with friends. "Dang it, now I have to do twice the work!" Kaito said as he rollerbladed back home with two girls pulling on his coat. "We'll were all going there, so IA shouldn't be the only one walking, don't be unfair oni-chan!" "But why did she already have roller skates ready? I'm the only one here that can stand with them without holding on to something." "Kaiko told me that you were going to, I thought it was okay." "Kaiko!" "I knew oni-chan would take us anyway so its no big deal!" "*Gasp* Oh I see how it is!"

Kaito increased his speed and took a left. "O-oni-san! Too fast, too fast! W-why did you take left! It's suppose to be right, left for a long time, then left again to our house! Now its left, right for a long time and right again! Ahhhhhh!" Kaiko hugged her brother begging him to slow down. "But this side has a really big, super deep drop right here!" Kaito took the right and started accelerating like crazy. IA however was having the time of her life. She clung on to Kaito like Kaiko did and started shouting. "Woo hoo! Hahahaha! This is crazy! Faster Kaito, Faster!" "No slow down! Whaaaaaa!" "Ahhhhhhhh hahaha!" Kaito merely grinned as he got the satisfaction of getting back at his sister.

"Ah man, I should take that route back every day, it's way easier for me and we got back here in like what seven minutes?" Kaito said as he made his way to the door of his house. There IA let go of Kaito and sat on the railing at the entrance to his home as she proceeded to take her skates off. "Yeah, it was insane! I don't think Kaiko liked it to much though." "Eh, now we're even, right Kai-" Kaito shut his mouth when he saw his sister, who seemed as if a ghost had sucked the life out of her, was quivering and refusing to let go of him. "I might have over done it." "No, I think we just went so fast we left her soul behind, it'll get here eventually." IA said as Kaito swayed his sister back in forth, trying to snap her out of her strange state, but she would not respond or let go. "Kaiko, we're home, you can let go now... please don't be dead." Kaiko suddenly took a deep breath, and lead out an incredibly fast ramble. "Oni-chanwhydidyoudothattomeI'msorryyou'retoomeanIwasscaredyouknowIdon'tlikegoingtoofaststupidjerkbuttfaceIpromiseI'lltellyounexttimeandIdon'twanttotakethatwayeveragain!" She said all in one breath as she gasped for air and started whimpering into her brother's stomach.

"Ah, her soul got here. Nice call." "Do I know Kaiko or what?" Kaito petted his sister's head soothingly. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd take it that badly. Tomorrow I'll take the day off and we can spend it together to make up for it, okay?" Kaiko lifted up her head and give a small smile. "Yeah." "Good, now lets get those skates off." Kaito picked up his smaller duplicate, placed her on the railing and took off her skates. Kaiko hopped off railing, and went to open the door. "So when are you coming back today?" "Eight-thirty, I'm stopping by somewhere on my way back so you can start making diner around seven-thirty. See ya later!" Kaito said as he skated out. "Bye Oni-chan! Don't be late for dinner ok?" "Bye Kaito!" IA and Kaiko waved as Kaito slowly went out of sight.

The sun was just a few minutes from being fully set, Kaito walked by large piles of trash, scrap metal, parts, lumber, and broken household items. Kaito had changed his clothes and had black and red shoes on, and his pants had a chain on the right side. His normal jacket, shirt and scarf had been switch out; he instead wore a white hoodie with a normal dark blue button open jacket over it, in the jackets pocket had his phone which was connected to a pair of black headphones around his neck and for some reason he had a chain that went out the bottom right side of his hoodie and looped back in.

Soon he saw a fire with a group of kids sitting around it. Dozens of boys and girls around his age sat around the fire on worn out, slightly torn couches, chairs and a few on a mattress. Each boy and girl's clothes were slightly dirty and a few minor rips. They were roasting on hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks and everyone had cans of juice by their side. As Kaito passed them one of the kids called out. "Hey check it out, Kaito's back! Yo Kaito come here, got some real good eats today!" "Kaito its been too long!" "Kaito, looking cute as ever, join us, you'll have a blast!" Kaito looked over and waved to them, then pointed in a direction further in the piles of junk. "Yeah he's in the usual spot as always!" Kaito gave them a small smile and a final wave before heading off again.

A minute later Kaito found what he was looking for, a boy eating an apple, sitting in a bean bag chair with two more empty next to him. He wore a red slightly torn hoodie, with spiky red hair to match and blue, extremely torn up jeans. "Well, well, well, Kaito its been three weeks since you last stopped by, visit a little more dude." Kaito laughed as he planted himself on the empty bean bag next to the red boy. "Yeah my bad, been a little busy. How's it been hanging Benkai? I see everyone's eating sorta good." "Better then your diet, I swear to god your insides will be winter wonderland for all that ice cream you eat!" "Ha, and I'll see an apple tree spouting out of your back any day now, jackass!" "Pppphht hahaha screw you, vanilla swirl boy!" They both heartily laughed a good while before calming down.

"Ah man, glad you came, all the challengers I get suck, I mean the money they pay to try to get my title is great, but all the good ones were gone from back then." "Nice try, I retired right after that big brawl out we did." "More of a one day all or nothing territory war finale slash revenge, but geez your retirement left me bored as heck. Has the old geezer stopped by the shop again?" "Not since a month ago." "When he does, come get me right away, I miss bothering the old fart." "Ha, will do. Man life is gonna suck for a while, school is boring me to death."

"Hold up!... You were serious about that?" "Yep, had to before those people who stop by every year find out about my 'homeschooling', I barely passed those tests they gave me and they were getting suspicious too, so I got stuck going to school now." "Haha! Loser, that's hilarious! Glad I'll never be screwed over like that!" "Here's the real funny part, I got in trouble on the first day today, and theres a rule that I can get off with no problems if I beat up three guys, that are sort of like the police, in a fight!" "Are you fucking screwing with me, what dumbass comes up with a rule like that!? Oh man, go easy on them, I gotta see that slaughter feast if you don't. On the bright side, everyone here will be stoked about the blue beatdown devil king's comeback!" Kaito shook his head at his friend while chuckling. "Nice try again, this is a one time thing. I'm staying retired." Benkai let out a sigh. "Worth a shot."

"Besides, who needs me when they have the red rustic king!" "You're right, they only need one king and it needs to be the good looking one anyway." "Good thing they don't need one that smells good." Benkai spat out laughter at Kaito comeback. "Oh fuck you bitch! Low blow!" They stayed there a bit more reminiscing untill Kaito checked his phone for the time. "Ah gotta go home, don't want to be late for dinner." He said as he got up. "It been great seeing you again, Benkai." Kaito said as he held his fist out. "Same here. Might stop by when I need free food, ya know!" Benkai grinned as he bumped Kaito's fist.

Kaito entered his home eating his almost finished ice cream cone. He walked into the kitchen to find the food already spread out, with Kaiko and IA sitting there. "Oni-chan, you're late!" Kaito checked his phone which showed eight-thirty on it. "Only by four minutes! It's just that I saw the ice cream truck going home for the day and-" "Excuses!" Said IA. Kaito finished off the rest of his ice cream and apologized. "Sorry, I won't be late next time." "Good! Now sit down over here, oni-chan!"

Kaito walked over and took his seat next to Kaiko and IA. IA handed everyone their plate of food. "So Kaito, what were you doing today?" "I was catching up with Benkai, I haven't really talked with him for like three weeks." "Oh that's great, I've seen him a few times here, he's seems like a nice guy." "Oh, trust me IA, Benkai's amazing! No one can never beat him in Street Fighter, or Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom3! He always does these super long combos that keep going!" "You should invite him over some more Kaito, I'd really like to meet him again." "Eh, Benkai comes and goes as he likes, I could try, but I'm pretty sure he's only free during the night." All three started eating their foods, chit chatting in between bites.

Kaito, IA and Kaiko were now finishing up dishes. "Yay were done, I'm going to bed. Night, oni-chan, IA!" Kaiko said as she rushed off to bed. IA went to the living room and put on her skates. Kaito went shortly after to retrieve his pair. "Ready?" He asked as he stood in front of IA. "Yep." "Alright lets go." "Help me up first!" "Try standing up." Kaito snickered. "I'm not falling ove-" Kaito yanked her up by the arm. "Yeah, just playing with ya. Grab on." IA grabbed on his coat as headed out the door.

"Thanks for taking me home again, Kaito." "I've done this like a thousand times already, you know its no big deal." "Still thanks anyway, it's scary to walk home alone at night." IA said as they skated on the sidewalk, streetlights illuminating the path to their destination. IA hugged on to Kaito's waist now, instead of holding on to his jacket. "Still scared of the dark?" IA nodded on his back. "You'll get over someday, till then, you got me and Kaiko." "Thank you." IA couldn't help but feel safe whenever she heard him speak.

At first, Kaito is distant and stoic when he meets new people, preferring to watch them for long periods of time, gauging their personalities. IA wasn't sure why he did this or what made him really decide who his friends are, but she knew that once you were, you'd cherish it with the utmost importance. He'd always be there, whether it be to listen, help, company, a sense of security and safety, Kaito was there. His simple presence was all one would need, that made any everyday action into a memory that you would treasure forever. 'I wish he'd carry me home instead, I'm so tired I just want to fell asleep.' IA grew weary, barely able to keep her eyes open.

"IA." "Hmmm?" "You gonna go inside, we've been here for almost a full minute just standing." IA stood up straight and took her skates off as she leaned on Kaito for support. "My bad, I'm just a little sleepy." IA finished taking off her skates and opened the door to her house. "So, you ready for your fight tomorrow?" IA asked. "I guess, honestly its more of a bother, I wanted to stay retired, but I guess I'll have to do it one more time. It's just not the same as before." "Well, would it be so less of a drag if Kaiko and I cheer you on with some custom made signs?" Kaito laughed as he placed his hand on her IA's head and ruffled her hair. "Knock yourself out, if it makes you happy, do it." IA closed her eyes and let out a big smile. "Then get ready to hear us yelling Kaito over an over, we'll be like crazy fan girls!"

* * *

**Next Chapter is the fight! Will Kaito barely survive or will he do too well? Again, please leave reviews, they are very appreciated.**

**Thanks to-**

**iloveyugiohGX93 **

**For reviewing! Xen out!**


	3. The blue devil's fight

**Hey, another chapter, I think I'm doing too much too early. I plan on doing and update every week on the weekend or every two weeks from this one on. I read the other review on the first chapter and the same tip came up on separating this stuff, so I decided to**** look at some other stories and see how they lay it out, so tell me if this one is a better improvement from the last.**

* * *

"Oni-chan, hurry up! We have to get IA and then make it to school on time!"

"Then don't tell me stuff I didn't have to do before right before we leave!"

"Sorry I forgot!" Kaiko laughed nervously. Further up the street the blue siblings saw IA on skates, clutching on to the streetlight in front of her.

"Oh thank god, Kaito over here!" Kaito passed IA, leaving her dumbfounded. "Huh? ... Kaito?" Kaito then turned around and passed her again.

"I think I left something at the house, Kaiko."

"K-Kaito, this isn't funny, I can't hold on to the street light forever."

"Oni-chan, you didn't forget anything lets just go to school, just us two!" Kaiko said happily.

"K-Kaiko, don't join his joke, my grips starting to slip!" Kaito turned back around once more and was about to pass IA again.

"Sounds good let's go!" "Kaito! Come get m-" IA was cut off by Kaito grabbing her hand and yanking her close to him. "Just screwing with you. You actually thought we'd leave you here?"

"We got you good, IA! Oh, want to have a sleepover today! It's Friday so lets start off the weekend with fun!" Kaiko asked.

IA refused to look at the two cruel blue jokesters who had played her. "I don't want to talk to you two now." IA pouted and looked down at the passing ground.

"Oni-chan, look at what you did! Apologize!"

"What! You joined in, it's you're fault too!" Kaito shouted back.

"You started it!"

* * *

Kaito was once again sleeping in class, the teacher as oblivious as yesterday to Kaito's action's. Luka looked over to Kaito, who was sound asleep. 'Not a care in the world, huh? Too bad thats going to end afterschool. Maybe I should give him another shot... I mean if he really is this ignorant, then he isn't too different from when I was a kid and first met Miku.' Luka glanced to her teal haired best friend's direction to find her trying to balance a pencil on her nose. Luka couldn't help but smile at her friend's antics. 'I'll give it one more try. Miku, you really make me do more then I need to, you know that?' Miku suddenly sneezed, causing her pencil to fly off to who knows where.

"Huh? Who's talking about me?"

'Ha, I guess thoughts sometimes count too.' Luka inwardly joshed. Just then another student walked in and handed a sheet of paper to the teacher and left.

"Ah, they finished the student assignment for the program. Megurine Luka, Hatsune Miku, Sakine Meiko, and Kamui Gakupo, please stand up." All whose name was called stood up. "The mentorship program you signed up for has assigned the second years that you will be in charge of. Sakine Meiko, Kagamine Rin will be under your wing."

"Alright, I got the party blond!"

"Kamui Gakupo, Kagamine Len will be under your wing."

"Understood."

"Hatsune Miku, under your wing will be IA... huh, thats the full name."

"Alright! This is going be so much fun!"

"And lastly, Megurine Luka."

'Wait, everyone from our group got someone from the those second years we had lunch with. The only one left is... noooooo, no way, no, no, no, no! If I get Kaiko, odds are he'll be around too! No way, I changed my mind, I'm not giving him a second shot, I don't want to be enemies with him, but theres no way I'm going to be his friend either!'

"Under your wing is..."

'Dear god, from the two hundred kids in that year, please don't give me one with blue hair!' Luka begged.

"Shion Kaiko." The teacher announced.

'God, are you colorblind?!' Luka screamed in her head as she drown in despair.

"As a reminder you must spend the day with them every Monday and Friday doing whatever activity you agree upon, unless certain circumstances prevent you from doing so."

* * *

Luka wandered through the halls, looking left and right for Kaito, not entirely sure if she'd really want to find him. Everyone had already ran out of school, hoping to secure a good spot for the fight about to transpire. "Where did he go? The school isn't that big, not many places he could go. Oh, found him." Luka caught Kaito walking out of the bathroom with an outfit different then his usual get up. He wore what he had on at the junkyard, and seemed to be searching through his phone for something specific. "Kaito, got a second?" Luka asked as she walked up next to him. Kaito looked over, paused for a bit, then waved and gave a small smile.

"Ahhhh... Luka, right? Sure." Kaito motioned her to follow him, so she did. "So what's up?"

"Just thought I'd tell you there's still a chance for you to not get hurt, you'd get full punishment now, but-"

"Not interested." Kaito said bluntly.

"Still insistent on going through with it; Gakupo's been training nonstop since this yesterday getting ready, and no one thinks you stand a chance besides your sister and IA."

"And?" Kaito asked in a bored tone.

"I'm just trying to warn you, but whatever, take your chances. If you just lay down and say you're sorry, then they'll pass on the fight, it wouldn't look good for them to hit someone who won't fight back."

Kaito kept looking through his phone and tapping on the screen. "Texting everyone your goodbyes?" Luka teased.

"Nope."

"It'd be a good idea."

"There it is."

"Huh? What is?" Luka asked.

"Something I like, but haven't heard for a while." Kaito put on his black ear phones and tapped the screen; his pace slowing down as well.

"Walking a bit slow there, getting cold feet?" Luka teased, but got no response. "Yoo hoo, anyone home in there?" She said while waving her hand in his face. "Kaito, stop ignoring me its getting on my nerves. Kai... to?" Luka stopped talking as she saw his eyes. Kaito's eyes were completely devoid of life, like he was nothing more but a shell of what was once there. "... I'll... see you there then." Luka jogged ahead, leaving behind what seemed like Kaito.

* * *

Miku and Meiko sat on the bench inside the group of kids circling around the three disciplinary officers standing there. Miku was hugging on to the bench while another student tried to pry her off, Meiko leisurely sitting in her spot. "Come on, just let me sit there!" A kid yelled.

"Noooo! Someone's coming soon! Just go away!" Miku pleaded.

"You've been saying that for twenty minutes, so where's this person, huh?" He countered.

"Um, I think that would be me." Luka said from behind. The kid sighed and walked away. Miku sat up and patted the empty spot next to her, Luka took her hint and sat down.

"Thank god you got here, so many people wanted that seat, but only your butt could be there!"

"Thanks Miku, everyone's getting riled up here, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I think there gonna send them out to get him soon. Do you think he left?" Miku asked worryingly.

"No I talked to him on the way here, he changed clothes and is walking pretty slow." She answered.

"Really? You know, I can't tell if that's good or not." The teal hair girl said.

"That makes two of us." Meiko commented. Just then IA, Kaiko, Len and Rin walked up carrying signs at their sides. Kaiko was the first to greet.

"Luka-senpai! I heard you're my mentor for the year! Want to cheer my oni-chan on with us? We can share my sign!" Kaiko held up her sign, with IA and the Kagamine twins following. IA and Kaiko's signs were about the same, they both said 'GO KAITO GO!', the only difference was that Kaiko had popsicles drawn on hers while IA had vanilla ice cream cones on hers. Rin's sign said 'sign my arm' and Len's simply said Kaito in big letters with an arrow pointing to Rin's sign so they wouldn't deal with other people thinking she meant them.

"Uh, I'll pass. And just call me Luka, I don't really like the senpai at the end."

"Aw fine, by the way they told us that we have to hang out every Friday and Monday so you wanna come to my house today?" Kaiko asked.

IA then spoke to Miku. "Um, same here, you're my mentor and I'll be at Kaiko's today."

Miku grabbed Luka's arm and held it up. "Sure, we'll be there!" Luka looked at her best friend with wide eyes.

"Miku! I never sai-"

"Don't worry about it, we have to do something together any way. Besides, this'll get you more time away from home, right?"

Luka looked down gloomily. "Right, I should take it whenever I can, I'll just need to make a call then."

Kaiko jumped in joy. "Alrightly, we'll play till we pass out!" Miku couldn't help but point out a concern of hers.

"That's cool and all but what about your bro-" Miku voice was lost in the crowd's sudden boost in volume when they saw Kaito walk out the school building.

"Alright, its time for the fight!"

"My money's on our sword guys."

"I'm betting on blue, gotta bet on miracles every once and a while."

"Whatever, I just want some action!"

"All of you, silence!" Spoke a spiky blond haired boy wearing all white uniform. "Kaito Shion, I'm the head of the disciplinary committee, Leyasu. I be supervising the fight, stop twenty feet in front of those three and I will be initiating the fight after I describe the rules, the wooden sword on the ground is yours to use." Kaito did not respond, he simply walked toward his three opponents, who all had their wooden swords out and ready, Gakupo with an especially fierce expression on his face.

"Go oni-chan! We'll have ice cream at home waiting for you!" Kaiko cheered happily.

"Kaito, control yourself!" IA warned.

"Autograph my arm!" Rin yelled.

"She means Kaito!" Len clarified.

When Kaito approached the sword, he kicked it out of the way and continued on his path. "That's past twenty feet, go back!" Yelled one of the three.

"I don't he hears you, this idiot's listening to music during a fight." Said the other one.

"If it makes you that uneasy, go ahead and go wild, if he won't listen to the rules there's no need to restrain yourself." Gakupo told him.

"Alright! I'll set him straight!" Yelled the boy to the right of Gakupo, who pulled another sword out from his side, and charged at Kaito with a wooden sword in each hand. Once his weapons were in reach of Kaito he swung his right sword at Kaito's ribs, only for Kaito to grab it and yank it back out of his attacker's grasp, throwing it out of site.

'Crap! I don't have that good a grip with one hand! This time I'll go for the head!'

Executing his thoughts, his sword went straight there, Kaito right arm was pulled back for a punch, not blocking the sword. 'Heh, shoulda tried grabbing it a-' Kaito caught the sword with his mouth, then bit down hard, causing it to snap in two, the, now broken, sword still attached to the hilt could was now too short to touch him. Then he launched his punch directly at his opponents face. Once his fist connected it pushed the boy's face back toward the ground behind him, knocking him and a few of his teeth out.

Kaito continued onward, without a scratch on him and his eyes as lifeless as ever.

"Dammit, the hell is your problem! I'll break your face for what you did to him!" The boy to the left of Gakupo lunged toward his adversary, his sword ready to dislocate a jaw.

He got in close, but before he could swing, Kaito kicked his shin hard, causing him to get down on one knee, which resulted in a knee to the face, lifting his body upright. Kaito then punched him hard in his stomach, making him gasp out as he had his wind knocked out him, causing him to pass out. Kaito grabbed the boy by the head and threw him to the edge of the crowd, and once again continued on toward the last man left, not a single sign of emotions from his eyes.

'I underestimated him, but this is beyond what anyone could of predicted though. In thirty seconds two he's taken two of us down, as if they were nuisances; no they may as well not have been here at all. If I can land the first hit, that'll be the only likelihood of me winning. Keep calm, steady your breathing, hold on to your weapon, using every bit of strength...' Gakupo rushed toward his enemy and with all his power, thrust his wooden sword at Kaito's chest. 'And pierce through your opponent!'

Kaito however, got ahold of his sword before it reached him. 'I'm not letting you throw this away!' Gakupo stomped his right foot on the ground, and pulled his sword back as hard as he could to prevent Kaito from disarming him. What surprised him though, he felt no resistance, in fact he felt it being pushed toward him. 'Did he know I was going to pull back?! Shit I got to-'

Gakupo's thoughts were cut short as the handle of his weapon smash on his nose, breaking it. Kaito wasn't finished though, he keep hitting that way five more time before forming his free hand in a fist and punched both of Gakupo's wrists, which were still holding on to his weapon, one broke and the other became dislocated. Gakupo screamed out in pain, but soon silenced by a kick from Kaito that rammed his face to the ground. Kaito turned around and walked away, since there was nothing left for him to deal with.

"Don't walk away... I'm not finished..." Gakupo managed to breath out, getting on his elbows and knees, desperately trying to stand up, but couldn't find sufficient strength to do it. Kaito walked on but stopped as he saw Leyasu hold out his wooden sword and drop it in front of him. He motioned for Kaito to take off his headphones. Kaito paused what was playing and took off his headphones.

"You won, you're pardoned of all previous misdeeds, and are free to leave. You know, when I saw you grab your first opponents sword, I thought I'd want a piece of you, then I saw you chomp the other in two pieces, thats when I knew no one here stands a chance against you. We could all charge you at once and there'd be only a blue haired demon standing around a bunch unconscious bodies on the floor. Also, this fight was a failure, not because of your victory, but because the crowd control they have to do now is ridiculous, I'm sure you noticed it. Every one of my members are working their asses off now, I need to re-think this rule."

All around Kaito and Leyasu, students were trying to push through, some out of concern for the fallen officers, others simply wanting revenge for their friends. One in particular was being restrained by the arms.

"Gakupo! Let me go! I need to check up on him, he needs help!" Screamed Luka as she tried to wriggle her way out of officers grip.

"Ma'am, calm down before I use force like some of the other officers!" He struggled saying while trying to hold her back.

"I'm... not... done yet... just... need to stand..." Gakupo groaned out. He hadn't moved a single muscle from his previous position. "Give me... a second to stand."

"It's over, if you hadn't noticed, everything past your elbows is out of commission, stop embarrassing yourself." Leyasu said while walking to Gakupo.

When he pasted Kaito a chill went up his spine. 'Maybe demon isn't the right description, even so, maybe I'll take a shot at him at the end of the year, someone needs to take over for me.' He thought.

"Sir, I can... continue." Gakupo groaned out

"Didn't I say stop embarrassing yourself? I wasn't asking, it was an order."

"Please... I-" Gakupo was knocked out by a quick chop to the neck, delivered by Leyasu.

"You may be a samurai, but a plain swordsman like me won't keep going because of some stupid reason like pride when he's already lost." As Gakupo lay there, there was a very faint tear stain. "Now to shut up everyone here. Attention all potential ER patients! Cease all movement before I issue you first class trips to the hospital!"

Silence spread through out the crowd; when Leyasu said something, it was always a demand. He invoked fear in the entire student body with over the three years he was here with his ability to maintain order and take down misbehaving students, and it showed right there. "The fight is over, everyone get lost. These students will be taken to the infirmary and will take no visitors so get that idea out of your head now, that is absolute. Now disperse before you piss me off more then you already are."

Slowly, students left and right left, some with sadness in their eyes, other with smiles on their faces as they talked about what they saw, and some with hate plastered on their face.

"Oniii-chan! You did great, did you see our signs, did you hear us cheering?" Kaiko asked as she ran toward her precious brother, followed by IA. Kaito's dead eyes slowly revived as he saw his two friends come toward him.

"Of course! How couldn't I hear my friends?" Kaito said as he rubbed the top of their heads. "But only IA got the pictures dead on, you drew the popsicles more for you, didn't you?" Kaito asked knowingly.

"Maybe I want some popsicles on the way home! Can we? Huh, huh come on, popsicles?!" Kaiko begged.

"Sure, what about you IA?" Kaito asked.

"I'm fine with popsicles too." She said plainly.

"Alrighty, lets go; oh and I don't feel like skating today so we'll walk."

Kaiko and IA groaned. They were used to getting escorted by Kaito most of the time by skate whenever they wanted to go somewhere that when they had to walk with or without him, it was exhausting and a bore. "Fine... Oh I forgot! Luka and Miku are coming with us!"

Kaito thought about his sisters statement for a bit before resuming to speak. "They are? Um... I guess its fine, but they're not allowed to go in my room, no matter what."

Miku and Luka looked at Kaiko who was calling for them, each thoughts vastly different. Miku was in awe of what she saw. 'Wow... that was awesome. I never thought he was so amazing, I gotta know more about him!'

Luka however, harbored nothing but negative emotions for Kaito. 'This cruel, heartless... I can't believe he did that to Gakupo! He has serious problems, not even a hint of mercy, after this I want him as far away from me as possible.'

* * *

Kaito, Kaiko, IA, Miku and Luka walked through the door of the Shion's house. Kaiko, IA, Miku and Luka came in with a popsicle that matched the color of their hair while Kaito had his eight inch vanilla swirl. Kaito went straight in the kitchen as the for the four females, they made themselves comfortable in the living room. Kaiko sucked on her icy treat, so IA figured she would take the role of the more talkative one, since Kaiko would always immerse herself in eating her popsicle.

"So have you two ever played videogames?" IA inquired.

Miku shot up her hand enthusiastically. "Oh you bet we do! We play them all the time, but Luka kinda sucks at most of them."

"Hey!"

"It's true, no use denying it." Miku said smugly.

"Well me and Kaiko tend to play fighting games, pretty competitively too, so would you like to play us?"

Miku answered for her and Luka. "Aww yeah, thats just my style! Let's split into teams then! The mentors versus mentees! You ready Luka?"

"Sure, you can go ahead and get it set up." Luka said as she glared at Kaito in the kitchen who was watching them from there. 'What's your problem, look away you monster.'

IA was setting up the game to the t.v. as Luka continued her bitter thoughts. 'That dumb stare, do you even have a brain in there, no I don't think you do because with brains comes a conscience! How can you act normally after what you did, eating ice cream... straight from... the tub? What happened to the other one? Wait... that spoon is going pretty deep in there... did he eat more than half the tub!? What is wrong with this freak!?'

"Okay, it's ready to go, Kaiko, are you done yet?" Asked IA.

"Yup, yup! Are you ready for some Ultimate Marvel versus Capcom 3!" Kaiko shouted as she jumped from the couch and sat next to IA, chewing on the stick of the eaten popsicle. Miku sat down with them and grabbed a controller.

"Luka, stop staring at Kaito and help me take them down!" Miku nagged to get her friends attention.

Kaiko tilted her head. "Huh? Do you want to be my oni-chan's new friend? That'll be super hard, oni-chan is really picky about his friends."

Luka broke from her stare and quickly sat down next to her teal best friend. "No, not at all."

"Aw, why?"

"I don't-" Miku jumped in before this situation could go south, she knew that after Kaito injured Gakupo, Luka would be a bit intolerant of Kaito for a few a while. Miku figured she would have the one diffusing any kind of tension before it exploded.

"Luka you go first for me! I'll swoop in at take them out after you lose a few rounds, mkay?"

"Wow, thanks for the faith." Luka said sarcastically.

"Anytime! Hey do you mind if I get a something to drink from your fridge?"

"Go ahead! Oh could you get a blueberry popsicle for me while you're there?" Kaito asked as perky always.

"Sure." Miku stood up and left those three to bond over beating the crap out of each other in a game. When she walked in the kitchen she saw Kaito's head in the freezer. She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Hey, I'll have some apple juice and my blue friend over there wants to order a popsicle, blueberry flavored, if you got it in stock." Miku joked. Kaito looked back briefly before turning back and rummaging through his fridge. When he finished, he brought out a small cup of ice cream, a blue popsicle and a juice box, and laid it out on the table.

He handed Miku her juice and popsicle, and started eating his ice cream. "Got a sweet tooth?" Miku teased as she poked his cheek.

Kaito nodded, still watching those in the living room. Miku bit the top of her juice box and sucked out the juice from the small hole she made. "That was pretty amazing, your fight I mean. You know, Luka's kinda mad at you now but don't take it personally, she's just worried for Gakupo."

"It's ok, you're a good friend, making sure no one says anything that'll cause a problem." Kaito answered back.

"You knew?" Miku said a bit shocked.

"Lets just say... I'm used to the aftermaths of fights." Kaito said in a low, quiet voice.

As Miku talked to Kaito she became more and more curious about him. At first he seem aloof, but then she saw him act ridiculously affectionate toward his sister, and then fierce battling three people, without any type of expression; Miku couldn't help but feel intrigued about him. "You're used to this kind of thing?"

"Lets not talk about it." Kaito responded in his usual known toneless voice.

"Sorry I d-"

"Miku, switch out with me! I lost to Kaiko three times and I'm tired of it, get revenge for me!" Luka whined.

"Coming." Before Miku left, she took one last look at Kaito, and went to go take her friends place.

* * *

"This isn't fun anymore..." Kaiko and IA moped in their spots for a while, they had lost more than seventy matches to Miku and they were beaten even worse each time to the point where they never got a hit in.

"Man, you guys suck. You know I'm not bad like Luka, right?" Miku said confidently. Unfortunately, that made Luka depressed as she drew circles with her finger on the floor.

"I just that the characters I like to use aren't that fast..."

"No, It's fine Luka, you were probably doing alright before! Besides, I'm just unbeatable!" Miku said self-assuredly.

"Wanna bet?" Said an unknown voice from behind her.

"Oh you finally joining in Kai-... Stranger walked in the house! Someone get a crossing guard!"

"What, who, where?"

"It's you! Kaito, get off the couch and do something!" Miku screamed.

"Why? Benkai comes here all the time."

Kaiko's ears perked up when she heard this. She turned around and a huge smile broke across her face as she jumped on him. "Benkai! You came to visit! Oh my god, do me a solid Benkai and beat her for me. Me and IA can't do it!"

"I guess I could, is this like a the munchkins versus the bigger munchkins? If so alright, but only one match and that's it." He said.

"Aw yeah! You guys are going down, Benkai's playing for me and IA, this last match decides the true winner!" Kaiko confidently proclaimed.

Miku and Luka looked at Benkai in fear, this was the apparently the toughest guy in town, who commanded every other orphan who lived here, sent every bad one packing, and scared them enough to make them never come back. "Y-y-you're B-Benkai, the r-rustic k-k-king?" Miku stuttered out.

"Only one with that name in town, could ya drop the king thing though, I only really use that when I'm a joking around or screwing with people. Chillax, I'm more docile then dippin' dots on the couch over there." He assured.

"Hey, don't make me tell them why the apple company's logo looks like someone took a bite out of it!" Kaito hollered at him.

"*Gasp* Hey, that was an honest to goodness mistake anyone could have made!" Benkai argued.

"Bull."

Miku exhaled. "Oh thank god, I thought you'd be some super scary guy, but you're kinda of a goof ball."

"Great. Thanks Kaito, I meet someone new in two minutes in your house and now I'm a goof ball." He complained to his best blue haired friend.

"For you that's a step up." Kaito taunted.

"Whatever, trust me I'm super awesome... Yeah I don't know your name."

Miku responded to Benkai right away. "Oh I'm Miku and this is my best friend Luka!"

Benkai looked over to who Miku had mentioned. "Oh there's someone else? Sorry, didn't see y-... Leia!" Benkai cry out, hugging Luka like he was about to lose someone.

"What? Ah, get off me!" She told him, Benkai completely ignoring her demand.

"Leia! Leia... I'll never let go..." He said softly.

Luka turned to her friend for help. "Miku help! Pull him off!"

Kaito decided to stop Benkai's mistake from continuing on any longer. "That's not Leia, Benkai! They don't even look the same."

Benkai grew a questioning look on his face as he stopped hugging Luka to take a good look at her. He found that his friend was right, he had mistook her for someone else dear to him. "Oh my bad, it's just that you look like someone I knew. I mean you look really, really similar."

Kaito grew a bit miffed at Benkai statements. "No she doesn't, they're nothing alike. Leia's hair was a way lighter pink, her eyes were a deeper blue, and her voice was higher too."

Benkai felt embarrassed at his mistake, his face reddening as he tried to explain himself. "Heh, yeah I might have just been really missing her lately, I mean its impossible, but come on are you saying you don't think they look even the slightest bit alike? Like come on, they could pass for twins."

Kaito responded quickly. "I don't see it."

"Whatever grumpy, you ready for midnight though?" Benkai asked.

"Of course, every month. I got my flower and drawing." He answered as it were the most obvious question in the world.

"Enough, no more, Benkai beat Miku already!" Kaiko whined.

"Oh right, forgot about that. Here gimme the controller, I'll show mercy until I get bored." Benkai said cockily.

"I'll make you eat those words!" Miku countered.

Miku and Benkai went to character selection and assembled their team. Miku picked Felicia, Wolverine, and X-23, her best team with the most speed. Meanwhile, Benkai picked an unusual one consisting of Strider Hiryu, Iron Fist and lastly, Vergil.

"Weird team, the only fast one you have is Strider." Miku stated.

Benkai chuckled at her comment, thinking her simple thinking was cute. "Oh don't worry about it I'm only using Vergil."

"What? His start up attacks are the slowest." She argued.

"Worry about yourself kiddo, just don't get super bummed out after this!"

"Kiddo! You're the look the same age as me!" The tealette yelled.

"No, I'm sorta as old as Kaito! I think... probably... Kaito how old are you?" He asked.

Kaito yawned out his answer. "Sixteen."

"Ah, see I'm sixteen, what are you fifteen at best?" The red haired teen questioned.

"I'm the same age!" She answered.

Benkai tried to restrain himself from laugh too much. "Really? *snicker* That's sad, shorty."

"That's it, I'm starting it now!" Miku smashed the X button over and over, even during the loading screen she didn't stop. Once the fight started, Miku went all out with short combos with specials chained up afterwards. Benkai took the time to chat with Kaito a bit while he let Miku have her limited time of enjoyment.

"Dude my drawings are top notch lately, she's totally gonna love the one I made for today." Kaito smiled. "Lucky you, I never seem to get better at it. Well, she'll still appreciate the effort and get a good laugh out of it!"

Benkai laughed at the truth in Kaito's words. "Ahhh, I remember those times where she promised she wouldn't laugh when she see's it and then run away as far as she could so you couldn't hear her laugh!"

"Dude, you're second character's almost dead." Kaito pointed out.

"Oh, thanks for reminding me about this." After Benkai second character died, Miku started rubbing her sure victory in his face.

"HA! Oh, three to one, you are so screwed now! Take this for calling me sh-" Miku lost all her bravado when Benkai's final character, Vergil, went berserk on Felicia, doing a combo that didn't stop till her character's health bar vanished.

"Ah." Miku squeaked out.

"Hey, look at that, she died. Want to see it again?" Benkai taunted.

"Luck! Take thi-" Once again Vergil had gotten the first hit and chained every attack perfectly and to finish off Miku's second character Wolverine, he used Vergil's level one special which cut everywhere one the screen in an instant. "H-How..."

"Don't worry I'll make this last one go much faster!" Miku didn't attempt attacking now knowing the risk, so she decided to stick to guarding for a while. This was futile however as Vergil vanished and appeared on the other side, transformed into demon form, activated X factor and used his level three hyper combo before Miku had the chance to switch which side she was guarding on, and killed X-23 who had full health.

Benkai, Kaiko and IA were all holding hands, while skipping around in circles chanting over and over 'We're the champs.' Miku face was buried in Luka's chest, seeking comfort because of her complete annihilation. "I suck, I suck so much..."

Luka petted her friends head in an effort to bring her spirit's up. "It's ok, you won all those other rounds, that was a thirty-five win streak with both of them! You're very skilled, ok?"

"But this was the one that really mattered!" Miku whined.

Luka sighed. She knew her friend wouldn't stop complaining for a while, and she'd always whine about her loss to Benkai until she wins one, so Luka gave her friend a suggestion to get her off her back. "Why don't you ask for a rematch then?"

Miku stood up and clenched her fist, a look of determination taking over her once grim expression. "You're right! Benkai, I cha-"

"Crap, Kaito the time! Let's get going!" Benkai said as he released his hands from Kaiko and IA's hands.

Kaito looked at the time from the T.V. and jumped from his seat and rushed to put his shoes on. "Aw man, I forgot to check it before!"

Miku fell to the floor dumbfounded. Before Benkai could get much closer to the door, Miku grabbed on to the bottom of his legs. "Waiit! I want a rematch, come on, one more!" Miku begged.

"You'd lose right away so there's no point, get better and I'll think about it." Benkai said to the now stone-like Miku as he slipped his legs out of her grip.

"Oni-chan, what time are you coming back?" Kaiko asked.

"A little after midnight, Luka, Miku, could you two watch them till I get back, thanks!" Kaito said as he ran out the door with Benkai.

Luka opened her mouth to object but the door slam shut before she could. "Are you serious? Geez, that guy..." Luka walked over and bent down to her teal haired friend that was still on the floor. "Miku, get up, we're babysitting now."

"Hey, we're not babies! Me and IA are fully matured big kids!" Kaiko shouted.

"Kaiko, it's just a term." IA said.

"I know, but I'm a big girl now, I don't need to get babysitted." She defended.

"Sure, sure. It's pretty late now and no one's had any real food yet; Do any of you want me to make something specific?" IA offered.

Luka replied right away. "No, it's fine! We're suppose to take care of you two, please allow us!"

"Don't worry, I do the cooking here, its my pleasure to make food." IA explained.

"Leeks, if you got 'em!"

"Miku!"

"She said she didn't mind, and I want leeks. Luka loves any kind of fish so give her something like that please!" Miku requested.

IA went to the kitchen to start cooking. "I'll call you both when the food's ready."

Kaiko ran after IA shortly after. "I'll help with the taste testing!"

Luka looked at Miku with an upset expression. "Miku, we're suppose to be the adults here and you're acting like a kid while they do things for us!"

Miku sat up and shook her head nonchalantly. "Luka, you're exaggerating. It's just some food she's making for us, there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, we're basically role models so we're doing what we gotta do as long as we don't do bad stuff."

Luka sighed. "You're right, I'm just stressed we have to be here for till after midnight, that's more then three hours from now."

"And now you gotta phone home or else huh?" Miku asked knowing her friends stress.

Luka nodded in response. "I'll be fine, I'll exaggerate my reasons like always."

"Hey, while you're at it, make up a lie for all day tomorrow; Think about it, more time away from there. You, me and Meiko should go fool around at the mall tomorrow, maybe get some cute new outfits while we're at it!" Miku proposed.

Luka smiled at her friend and the care that she showed for her. "I'll try."

"Good, now wanna go a round with me? I gotta get some serious training in to beat that guy!"

* * *

A little while later... "Ok! The food's ready, come eat!" IA called. Miku and Luka walked in while Kaiko had finshed placing the food on the table and IA was putting away unused food in the fridge. Miku took her seat with the plate that had curry and a single leek on the side, and a cup of juice. Luka took the seat next to her. Her plate had various types of well made sushi, a cup of soy sauce on the side and a cup of juice as well.

"Wow, you made all of this? You're very skillful IA." Luka praised. IA blushed as she took her seat with Kaiko. "Oh, it's nothing. I cook for them almost everyday, I guess I'm just used to cooking for others, I enjoy it a bit too." IA said modestly.

"I only got one leek, can I have like two more?" Miku asked.

IA looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, that's all there is. Honestly, I was surprised there was even one. I think Kaiko just made a mistake when shopping and grabbed it without noticing, she does that often."

"Nooo... Well kinda." Kaiko stuck her tongue out and rubbed the back of her head.

"Ah, its alright! This still looks super good, so lets dig in!" Miku and Luka both took one bite and froze afterwards.

Kaiko smirked at them. "Oh, I forgot, you guys never tasted IA's cooking. Don't get addicted because she's ours!" Both previously motionless girls instantly ate their food as fast as they could but stopped after a few seconds, Luka ate her food too fast that she choked a bit before swallowing her sushi and as for Miku, she burnt her tongue because the curry was still a bit hot.

Luka composed herself before speaking. "IA, your cooking is amazing, its really some of the best I ever eaten." Luka complimented.

Miku joined in too. "Oh my god, yes! So you feed them every day too, Kaiko you're way too lucky!"

"Without IA, me and oni-chan would starve!" Kaiko stated.

"That's not true, you'd just be eating burnt food instead." IA teased.

"No, I wouldn't! Remember who tasted it, with out me we'd never know if its good or not!" she countered.

"I could taste it myself."

"No, you'd do it wrong!" Kaiko yelled.

"Realllly? How so?" IA asked in a very sarcastic way.

"It's like... the, when, uh... the thing! The thing you do when you eat it, if you don't do it right, everything's ruined!" Kaiko terribly tried to interpret.

"Ah, yes the thing! How could I forget the thing? Yes, that thing. That thing is the thing, not that thing but the thing! I totally know the thing!" IA mocked.

"Stop it! It's not funny!"

"Oh, never! The thing is no laughing matter, it is the thing after all."

"Stop embarrassing me IA! Come on, not in front of my mentor, Luka's gonna think I'm stupid or something!" Kaiko pleaded.

"Not something, the thing, remember?" IA started giggling uncontrollably at the end of her last taunt.

"IAAAAAA!" Kaiko whined. As they continued to go back and forth, Luka couldn't help the warm smile she had because of them.

'Now that I think about it, they're just like Miku and I are.' Luka could remember and exact replica of this situation she had with Miku but with the word 'it' instead. IA took the role she had and Kaiko fit Miku's spot perfectly, they seemed nothing less then the next year version of themselves. Luka was more clam, cool, collected and quiet, while Miku was the opposite; energetic, silly, excited and loud. A part of Luka wished she had received IA instead of Kaiko, but she thought odds were they'd be in this group of four when they got together so they could cross over a lot on the mentoring. Luka turned her head to her best friend, wondering what she thought of this.

'Sweet! I got the super smart one that does almost everything perfectly.' Miku cheered inwardly.

* * *

Kaito and Benkai were walking up a tall grassy hill with a cherry blossom in bloom on top. "Wew, dang I thought we'd be late but I think we ran too fast to get here this early." Benkai said relieved.

"Eh, we'll can stay longer then, I mean I do need to leave almost right after midnight." The blue haired boy said.

"Heh, I gotta head back to the junkyard to make sure everyone's sleeping ok too. Ah man, when'd we get so needed?" Benkai grumbled.

"I have a sister so that's just the usual for me."

Benkai sighed. "So I'm the only one with new responsibility? Life isn't fair."

"It was... up to that day." Kaito said sadly.

Benkai avoided responding to Kaito's comment. "And we're here." He stated. Where the cherry tree stood, at its roots there was a single pink lily and a grave stone. Engraved on it said 'Leia - our elegant, benevolent, unselfish, compassionate, best friend.' Both of them sat next to the grave stone, pulling out what they had brung and laid it out in front of the lily. Kaito's picture was crudely drawn and was hard to make out but it seemed to depict three small kids, one with blue hair, one with red and the last with pink, all of which appeared to be holding hands.

"I think she loves mine more, mine has color!" Kaito claimed cockily.

"Phhtt! You're crappy crayons can't go toe to toe with my sketch, she clearly loves mine way more, right Leia?" Benkai's drawn was pencil drawn, but it had extreme precision and detail. His illustrated what appeared to be him, Kaito and a girl as kids sitting on the branches on the tree next to them. They patiently waited for a response; then a wind blew, making the lily lean toward Benkai. Benkai shouted his victory, while Kaito rolled on the ground trashing like a toddler.

"Bs, bs, you always pick his! You're picking favorites!" Another wind blew and turned the flower toward Kaito. "Don't try to comfort me now, it's too late! You suck!"

"Don't listen to him Leia, he's just cranky since he has to go to school now." Another wind blew as soon as Benkai finished his sentence, leaning it toward him once more. "Oh right, we didn't tell you, Kaito goes to school now, can you believe it! He's gonna flunk out so bad."

"Hey!"

"Dude, I read, write and do math better then you. You're screwed." Benkai stated matter-of-factly. Kaito let out a small wheeze of air when he realized his friend was right. The flower abruptly started shaking a little. Kaito quickly sat up with a smile. "Hey, we got her to laugh again!"

"Yes, we're awesome!" Benkai said as he high-fived his best friend. Soon enough, they immersed themselves in conversation long into the night.

* * *

Luka and Miku were both carrying Kaiko. They laid her down on her bed next to IA who was fast asleep, nibbiling on her thumb.

"Nooooo... oni-chan not back yet... let me waii-" Luka put a finger over Kaiko's lips and softly shushed her.

"He'll be here soon, just fall asleep already." Luka closed Kaiko's barely open eyes shut as she slowly back away with Miku. Kaiko squirmed at bit more before giving in to her exhaustion. Luka closed the to her room silently and retreated back to the living room with Miku. She sat down on the couch, tired and weary from her long day.

Miku plopped herself and let out a large sigh. "Wowy, Kaiko sure has a lot of energy, glad that's not my problem." Miku said.

"Hey, you're no different, in fact, you two are too similar." Luka argued.

"Yeah, I guess... but I got the does it all one, clearly I made out better than you."

"Well, she's nothing but pure, so that's enough for me. As long as she's a good person, what more could I ask for?" Luka said humbly.

"True that. Sooo... Since we're talking about Kaiko, what do you think of her brother?" Miku asked.

"Don't like him, terrible person." Luka simply stated.

"Harsh, come on, it was either him or Gakupo, you got to let it go; we're in the same class so you'll see him everyday, so try to get along." Miku pleaded.

Luka pouted before answering. "Fine. Don't expect me to be buddy-buddy with him though." Just as Luka finished the door had opened, Kaito yawning while walking in.

"Yo." He greeted.

Miku sat up from her seated and stretched. "Where ya been all night? It's like past one now."

"Visiting a friend."

"Oniii... *yawn* -chan. You're late... bedtime..." Kaiko was unable to finish her sentence as fell toward the floor. Kaito, however, caught her and lifted put her over his shoulder.

"Sorry, Kaiko doesn't go to sleep unless I'm around, I'll put her to bed, you guys can go now." Kaito said as he carried his sister into her room.

Kaito went back to close the front door he left open to find Luka and Miku still in the living. "You guys can leave now, you know." Kaito said in a non-offensive way.

"Great, then walk us home!" Miku asked.

"Eh?"

Luka sighed. "It's one in the morning and you want us to walk home by ourselves? It's way too dangerous, something could happen to us."

"Oh."

Miku popped back in the conversation. "So take us home then, come on, chop chop."

Kaito rubbed the back of his head. 'Mmm, I guess I should... and they did watch Kaiko and IA for me.' "Alright, lead the way."

* * *

Kaito, Miku and Luka walked through the streets, most of the street lights off for some reason or another. "They really need to fix the street lights here, it makes walking home scarier." Miku said aloud. She waited for someone to respond, but only silence could be heard. Miku knew that Luka was avoiding any conversation with Kaito and as for Kaito, he just didn't seem like he cared or wanted to converse with anyone. "So guys, today was fun right? Lots of games and good food, huh?" Neither spoke.

Miku nudged her friend and gave her a pleading look. Luka merely shook her head, shot a quick glare at Kaito and went back to minding her own business. "Ahhh... Kaito! Why ya so quiet buddy?"

"Because she's mad at me, and I wanna see how many times she's gonna try to give me quick mean look before we get to your house, thinking I haven't noticed. It's sad that she's already at fourteen." Kaito said nonchalantly.

Luka shot up her head and turned to Kaito with an angry expression. "You knew!?" She shouted.

Miku hung her head in failure as she walked. 'Nooo, we were so close to my house.'

"Course I knew, one, peripheral vision and two, no one's hair whips that much while walking when I turn to check. So which one was it I beat up that set you off, I can't really remember them or their names too well." Kaito asked in a bored tone.

Luka stopped walking upon hearing this. "You don't even remember the people you hurt!?" Just then a street light ahead of them shut off in an instant.

"Uh, guys? We're like twenty feet from my house, and standing out here at this time isn't the best ide-"

"I've already beaten the crap out of hundreds, maybe even a little over thousand, three more won't make me give a damn about who's ass I kicked." Kaito said in his toneless voice.

"You're heartless then! Choosing to hurt someone else just makes you a degenerate!" She yelled at him.

"So those guys I fought were degenerates then? Then it evens out." He argued.

"Gakupo is not a degenerate! Unlike you, he's selflessly protected others!" Luka defended.

"Isn't that the one that started this in the first place? So technically, he's the worse them me. They all struck first, I just countered afterwards. If we'd switched roles, would they be at fault, would anyone besides my sister and IA have a reason to resent them, though they wouldn't, would you treat him the same way you're treating me? No, I'm a new kid no ones knows, so no one should care much what happens to him, right? The assumption that I've done wrong is completely biased, you're just mad that you couldn't do anything for you're friend and you're taking out on me, the cause of his injuries; Though my actions are the effect of what he started in the first place. But it's easier just to pin it all on me isn't it? I'll admit that that time I spit that rice on him was not cool, but that's the only thing, everything else was him." Kaito said as uninterested as before.

Luka became dumbfounded at Kaito. She realized that what he said had much truth, she even felt guilt beginning to well up inside. 'Have I really letting my feelings cloud my judgment this much? ... Now that I think back on it, I'm embarrassed about the way I acted. Should I apologize? I mean I should, but... I can't bring myself to do it. It's just too awkward.' Her face dejected, her thoughts swirling around.

Miku spoke again to remind them what they were doing. "My house is right over there, all we have to do is wa-" Miku stopped talking when she noticed all the street lights started flickering on and of at an alarming rate. 'Ok, now I'm getting creeped out here.'

Meanwhile, Luka was still contemplating on how to apologize, not noticing the lighting issue around her. She snapped out of her thoughts however, she felt a hand on the top of her head and Luka looked up to find Kaito looking at her with a warm expression she had never seen on him, or anyone for that matter. It simply captivated her. "Let's just move on without another word, I've been through similar situations from your view point, nothing good comes from dwelling on stuff like this, K?" Kaito asked nicely and sincerely.

Luka nodded slowly. "T-than-" Just then, every street light shut off.

"Kyyaaaaa!"

After a few seconds the lights turned back on, showing Miku chewing on one of her pigtails, then releasing it from her mouth, relief washing over her. Luka, on the other hand, had her face buried in Kaito's chest, shaking like a startled kitten. Once Luka opened her eyes, she realized that she was clinging on to Kaito, immediately she pushed herself away from Kaito, grabbed Miku and rushed toward her friends house.

"We can walk ourselves from here, bye!" She yelled quickly as she yanked Miku faster toward her house. Kaito looked at them curiously, but he shrugged his shoulders and headed home.

* * *

The second they walked in the house, Luka let go of Miku and covered her face. "I can't believe I did that... it was just that got surprised and I just clung on to the first thing on could. My god, that was so embarrassing!"

"Yeah, you looked like such a scaredy cat! I can't wait to tell Meiko tomorrow!" Miku joshed.

"Talk and I'll tell her your hair chewing habit is back." Luka threatened.

"Ah! You know what, its late and I'm tired, lets call it a draw and just never speak of it, deal?" Miku offered.

"Deal. You told you're parents I was sleeping over right?" She asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, yeah, they know. They got your spare clothes washed and everything, now lets crash cause we've been up way too long. Ahhhhhhhhh, come on." Luka followed Miku to her room, her thoughts trailing back on recent events.

'This year s going to be an interesting one, I can feel it. The only problem I can see is Kaito, I know we're sort of ok now, but he just doesn't make sense most of the time and there's no explanation about him in general. He's lived here his whole life yet no one's knows him, he's friends with the king of orphans, and his personality that switch's from aloof and reserved, to warm and childish. With him being Kaiko's brother, odds are I'll be seeing him a lot. After what I just did though, I'd be too embarrassed to be around him. Ah well, tomorrow I'll get my mind off of this.'

* * *

**Ah, this one took a while to finish, but it came together pretty well I think. A lot of hints on character backstory in this one for later chapters, notice any one's that were real minor? Like always, please review for motivation! :) **

**Thanks to:**

**-Author-chan123**

**for reviews. Xen out!**


	4. Problems I enjoy by my side

**Yeah... I'm late. In my defense, I went to GameStop and got two games, that should explain itself. Video game addictions aside, I'm going to attempt to redeem myself by getting it on time this weekend! Or procrastinate, repeat my mistakes and learn nothing. Also, for the clothes, I'll just name the module they use if they change from different clothes.**

* * *

"Oni-chan! Oni-chan! Oniiii-chan! Come on, it's time for breakfast! Come on, wake up!" Kaiko shouted as she jumped on her sleeping brothers body as he lay on his bed. Kaito groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Light blurred his vision as he adjusted to find his sister wearing blue and white polka dot pajamas, on all fours, jumping on him.

"Its getting late Kaito, get up already, you'll miss most of the day at this rate." A voice to the right of him said. He tilted his head to find IA next to his bed, bending over his bed, her face a few inches from his. IA wore a huge black t-shirt that covered her all the way down to her knees and the collar area was big stretched enough that it revealed her right shoulder.

"What time is it?" Kaito groaned.

"Ten thirty-seven! Now wake up! I want IA to start breakfast soon, tell her what you want!" Kaiko demanded.

"... Come back in four hours."

"Kaito, sleeping that much is ridiculous, you should have gotten your eight hours by now, stop being so lazy." IA commented.

"Didn't you know? I'm part sloth so I need all the other hours. So good night forever." Kaito grumbled as he grabbed his pillow, hiding his head under it.

"Kaito, we go through this all the time, could you just wake up and tell me what you want?" IA tried to reason. Kaito pull the blanket over himself, shuffling under it a bit before settling in. "Kaiko, go get the bucket and fill it with cold water and ice."

Kaito shot up, jumped out of his bed and headed out of his room. "I'm up, scrambled eggs and rice, too lazy to fix up my bed, never going to do it."

"Yay! Misson complete, ultra good job IA!"

IA giggled at her friend's praise towards her. "Guess I'm expert now!"

* * *

Kaito, IA, and Kaiko sat in the living room eating breakfast, chatting and watching t.v. as they usually did. "And then Luka told me that she'd give me dancing lessons if I wanted some. Oni-chan, do you think I'd be a good dancer?" Kaiko asked.

"I don't see why not." Kaito said as he chewed his rice.

"And she told us about their club, project diva! You think they'll let me join?"

Kaito swallowed before answering. "It'd be nice if you joined any club instead of bothering me all day. That goes for you too IA."

"Hey!" Both girls yelled.

"Just teasing, calm down. As the oldest it's my job to make sure you do school stuff, and become independent or something I don't know, just join something and have fun."

"Phhht, you're only older than us by a year oni-chan, I'm a big girl and can take care of myself!"

"You couldn't handle making a bowl of cereal by yourself, you don't have any practical skills to survive on you're own."

"Ehhh! IA, back me up!" IA focused on her food more and ate at a faster rate. "IA! You don't agree, do you?"

"So, Kaito, we were planning on going shopping today, care to join us?"

"Don't ignore my question, I know your answer now, admit it! I can feel the doubt from you!"

"No. You'll just make me carry the one or two things you buy and then drag me around for hours window shopping!"

Kaiko sigh in defeat and dropped the subject. "Oni-chan, just come with us. What would you even do all day anyway?"

"Sleep, go bother Benkai, what else." He plainly stated.

"Mehhh, can't you do that later? Come on oni-chan, just a little bit?"

Kaito thought about it for a bit before answering. "You're both really want me there with you?" They both nodded in response. "Well, I have to go, no way around it. I'm not staying with you all day though. I'll leave when I feel like it, got it?"

Both girls smiled before pouncing on Kaito, hugging him against his will. "Yay, thanks oni-chan!"

"Thanks Kaito!" It took a bit of struggling, but somehow Kaito managed to pry his two very affectionate friends off of him, and stand up.

"Ah, well then lets leave in like an hour, I'm gonna take a shower." He stated. Before he was able to take his first step, Kaiko and IA had a mischievous glint in their eye. Suddenly, the both yanked Kaito back, making him tumble backwards over the couch.

"Dondake!" Kaito screamed right before he hit the ground. At the sound of feet running, Kaito shot back up and ran toward the hallway. The second he turned the corner, he saw a door slam shut. The blue haired boy ran toward the door and started banging, jigging the knob, pushing on it, hoping something would cause it to open. "No, no, no, no, no! Let me in! Unlock the door, damn it! You're gonna use up all the hot water again!"

"Why, whatever do you mean Kaito?" IA said sarcastically.

"Screw you, you both do this every time!"

"Oni-chan, you should have learned by now then!"

"I suck at learning, you know that!"

"Oh well Kaito! Guess you'll have to try your luck after we're done!"

"I don't wanna try my luck, I want to try the fricken hot water!"

* * *

"Hands off my fries! Drink your leek shake already, you have money to get your own!" Luka screeched at her teal haired friend. (Wearing conflict)

"Too lazy to get back in that long line. Come on, just a few." Miku asked. (Wearing Urban pop)

"No way. I need to eat it more than you do, plus this cost me two hundred yen, and I'm scarce on money as is. You know I can't get anymore until the start of next break." Luka reasoned.

Meiko sighed at her two friends silly argument at the table in the food court. Luka was usually the mature one in the group, but sometimes she would act childish like Miku over trivial things when Miku keeps prodding her over and over on certain things, making Meiko step up as the responsible one. "Miku, stop pestering after so many no's, you know she needs to eat more than you do and has less money. And as for you, it wouldn't kill you to give her ONE fry, you know she has that weird dipping it in her shake habit."

"Hey it's a way of life, not a weird habit!" Miku objected. "Just give her one to shut her up, she won't stop till you do anyway." She asked once more.

Luka pouted for a bit before agreeing. "Fine. Here."

"Thank you very much!" Miku said as she snatched it from her friends hands, dipped it in her shake and popped it in her mouth. "You guys are missing out, its really good. You should really try it."

Both friends shook their heads and answered together. "No. No way. It's gross, just gross."

"Judgers!" She retaliated.

"Well, well look who we found here, our three favorite beauties. You miss us?" Spoke a teal haired boy accompanied by a pink haired boy.

"Not really." Miku said sourly.

"Aw, come on, but you're my favorite. Was I away too long, are you mad at me? I know I missed the first two days of school, but I promise to spend way more time with you!" The teal haired boy said while pulling up a seat next to Miku.

"Switch out mad with annoyed, and it's all the time Mikuo." She said while bending the straw to her shake, looking for any kind of outlet for her growing irritation.

"Hey, be a little nicer. Luki is getting better treatment then me." Mikuo said. Miku looked over to where Luka was to find Luki getting too close to Luka, leaning in toward her as she leaned back awkwardly.

"He look like he has personal space issues! Back off of her!" Miku said angrily.

Mikuo cupped Miku by the cheek and pulled her face back toward him. "Hey, eye's here. Cute casual wear, nice change of pace from the usual stuff."

"A-ah, hands off creep!" She shouted as slapped his hand away.

Meiko had enough of these two advances toward her friends for today. "Ok, you guys had your fun for today, now get lost." She said in a demanding tone.

"We would but we need to make up for lost time. Don't worry though, Luki will give you some attention soon enough. As for me, I'll stick with my green girl." Mikuo said smugly.

* * *

"Oni-chan, when are you going to stop making that face?" Kaiko asked.

Kaito was walking between his sister and IA, a bitter expression stuck on his face. He was carry a single shopping bag with a few items Kaiko and IA bought. "It was windy today. You used up all the hot water. It was freezing for me on the way over here!" He yelled.

"Sorry oni-chan, it's just that the hot water feels so good!"

"Doesn't mean you guys can stay in there for an hour and a half." Kaito said in a restrained voice.

IA tugged on Kaito's coat until she got his attention. "I'm sorry too, I didn't know it'd be windy today. Could we do anything thing to make it up to you?"

"Ice cream." He said right away.

"Should have known." They both said. If Kaito was ever in a bad mood, ice cream would fix it right away.

"Oni-chan, let's check if the food court has some, oh I want some popsicles too." The little sister said.

"I thought you were treating me!" Said Kaito.

"But I wasted it all on the new figurines I got! The anime shop got the new limited edition Blue Exorcist figurines and I had to have them! So... could I have my allowance early so I can buy food for me, or you could treat us?"

"No, you have to wait till Monday like always. Honestly, how do blow through 4000 yen every week, I shouldn't even give you that much, I'm clearly spoiling y-... hey wait you!? What about my ice cream!?" Kaito yelled.

IA tugged on his coat again for attention. "I'll pay for it Kaito, just let me see how much I have." She said as she rummaged through her purse for money.

"See Kaiko, learn to control yourself like IA with money. She just bought a few posters and she making sure how much to spend now so she's not out of it later when she ne-"

"Ah."

"Ah? Ah what? ..." Kaito stared at IA's hand that held a few coins that totaled up to around eighty yen. Kaito remained completely blank for a moment. "... I see. ... There was not point in offering in the first place if I have to get it myself! You're the responsible one, why are you broke!? No, I should have seen it coming. This, I really should have seen coming." Kaito said to himself.

"Sooo... you'll treat us?" Kaiko asked hopefully.

"Don't I always?"

* * *

"Crap, Kaiko wandered off again. IA did you see where she went?" Kaito asked his sisters best friend as he scanned the food court.

"She said was going to eat some food samples." She answered.

"Seriously? She couldn't wait a minute for us to pick a place; I don't see any places that sell ice cream either. *sigh* I'll have to go somewhere else for it." It was when he finished his sentence that he heard his sister.

"Oni-chan, look what the sample person gave me by accident, it's so funny!" Kaiko said as she placed something in her brother's hand. Kaito looked at his hand to find packets of ketchup in his hand. "She grabbed the wrong tray and didn't notice until she handed it to me. She ran back before I could give them back, here's some for you IA!"

"I don't really want or need it, but okay." Was all IA could say to her friend.

Kaito merely shrugged and keep it in his hand. "None of these places sell ice cream so, I'm leaving to get some."

"Nooooo, oni-chan, don't leave!" Kaiko pleaded.

"I did say I'd leave when I want." Kaito said.

"But I-" Kaiko was cut off by IA's slight nudge.

"Over there, look." Kaiko gave her friend a questioning look before she found what caught her attention. Across the food court, Mikuo and Luki we're seen at a table with Miku, Luka, and Meiko.

"Aw no, not those guys. *Gasp* And there bothering our mentors! Oni-chan, we need you! Those guys are annoying pervs, help our mentors!"

"I'd rather go get my ice cream."

"Oni-chaaannn, come on, scare them away."

"Hey, I don't go around scaring people unless it's Halloween or Obon, it's wrong to bother people like that." Kaito said.

"I don't care how you do it, just help them. Please, for me oni-chan?" Kaiko asked once more.

Kaito sighed in response and put his hand on his sister's head. "Fine, but after this I'm leaving, no whining about it; Got it?"

Kaiko frowned at her brother's condition to help, but reluctantly gave in. "Fine. Go do it then."

Before Kaito could take his first step, IA questioned him first. "Kaito, what exactly are you going to do? I hope it's not something irresponsible."

Kaito smirked at his petite pink friend's question. "Don't worry, I'm going to copy something I saw in an anime, it'll totally work. Here, hold the bag for now."

"Kaito, that's bad, they specifically tell you not to copy what you see on t.v.!" Kaito disregarded his friends warning and continued toward his classmates. It didn't matter whether or not it worked, Kaito simply wanted to fool around and screw with some people.

* * *

"Tomorrow's a good day for a date, how about it?" Mikuo said confidently.

"NEVER." Was the only response Miku would give him at this point. "Luki, I told you to back off of Luka already, she hasn't said a single word to you, and she won't, you weirdo!"

"Let those two work it out themselves. Now, about our date."

"What part of NE- Kaito?"

"Yo."

'Why is he here? Today I was suppose to forget about yesterday. Great.' Luka thought.

"What are you doing here?" Miku asked.

"And whose this guy?" Mikuo asked but was ignored.

"My sister sent me over here, she told me to get rid of the perverts here before I leave to get ice cream." Kaito answered as he point over to his sister and IA.

Mikuo stood up from his seat and look straight into Kaito's eye's. "Pervert? No, I just like to show my appreciation to beauty. And who exactly are you?"

"Kaito. Didn't you hear her say it before?"

"That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean then?"

Mikuo chuckled a bit answering. "Look, funny guy, I'm just try to spend some time with my favorite girl, you can understand that right?" Mikuo said as he put his hand on Kaito's shoulders.

The second he made contact though, Kaito spiraled out of control and landed on the floor face down. "H-...huh?" Mikuo uttered. Kaito rolled over to reveal blood on his shoulder, followed by a cough that spitted out more of the red liquid. His breathing became erratic, and he seemed to be losing the life in his eyes.

Meiko spoke out in concern for Kaito's health. "Kaito, are you okay!? Mikuo, what did you do to him!"

"What? I, I didn't do anything, I swear!"

"Then explain that!"

Kaiko ran over to her brother, got on her knees and started shaking her brother. "Oni-chan, nooo! Oni-chan, speak to me, please! Don't leave me!"

Kaito managed to force out some words, though they were soft spoken and quiet. "K-kaiko, don't stress out about me, it's not good for your health. *cough* H-he really did a number on me, he touched me in the one bad spot that messed up all the nerves in my body... K-Kaiko... I'm sorry... I don't think I'll be okay, you... you'll be going home without me."

Kaiko began to tear up, water flowing down her eyes. "It's not home without you, don't leave me alone! Answer me oni-chan!" Kaiko begged her brother for any type of response, but Kaito already ceased breathing and became motionless. "No... why? Why did you kill my oni-chan!? He never killed anyone, he didn't deserve this. Why did you kill him!?" Kaiko yelled at Mikuo.

Mikuo looked around him, people's eyes were on them, watching what seemed like a murder scene. "I didn't, I... this is a mistake, just a mistake!"

"Killing my oni-chan isn't a mistake! You did this on purpose! I loved my oni-chan more than anything and you- you-" Suddenly Kaiko face became strained and in pain as her hand clutched tightly onto her chest. Her breathing slowly developed into heavier, slower, deep breath's. "Ahh, my, m-!"

It was then Kaiko coughed out liquid from her mouth, slowly losing all strength and feeling in her body, causing her to topple over her brother. "Oni-chan... I won't be alone... I'm following where ever you go... because... I love you more than anything... my precious... oni-cha-" Those were Kaiko's last words as she joined Kaito forever.

Mikuo was horrified with himself. All he had done was a simple touch on Kaito's shoulder, he couldn't comprehend how this had gone so south so fast, but it didn't matter. What he knew was that everyone watching would think he's a killer, and he'd be arrested soon enough. His life was over as he knew it and what made things worse was that he could swear he heard snickering, giggles, and a single laugh from behind him, laughing at his misfortune. He turned to find Meiko and Luka holding back their laughter, while Miku laughed without any kind of restraint and Luki was pinching the bridge of his nose what seemed to be a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.

"The hell is so funny!? You think this is funny!?"

Miku gladly answered his question. "You bet, you dope! "

"That's sick!"

"Hahaha! Check out what Kaiko spat out and- hahaha - you'll get it!" The teal hair girl cackled as she banged her fists on the table over and over.

Mikuo looked over to the presumably dead bodies, scanning where Kaiko had coughed out that liquid from before. He analyzed it for a bit before it hit him. That liquid wasn't blood, so odds were that Kaito's wasn't either. That, and there was an small empty packet of mayonnaise on the floor near it. "That's... Did you cough out mayonnaise?"

Both blue siblings lay there silent before responding quickly in a strained voice. "No."

"It's- It's white though. Since when is blood white."

Both bluenettes answered his question in sync. "*cough* White blood cells."

"White bloods cells my ass! And you, you were using ketchup, weren't you!? You two are messed up! You made me think you were dead and I was at fault! Who the hell would even pull crap like this! And why are your answers in sync!? Did you both plan this out or are you two just on the same page of idiocy!?" Mikuo yelled furiously at them.

Kaito shot his head back up. "At least we don't mistake mayonnaise for blood. And way to blow it Kaiko, Why'd you bring mayonnaise *cough* dying again." He spoke before pretending to be dead again.

"*cough* It was an accident. Ahh, so dead."

Mikuo stared at them in anger. He couldn't believe he was fooled by two of the dumbest people he had ever met, and now the crowd around him became aware of the true situation and started quietly laughing amongst themselves. He couldn't stand to be there anymore, he knew if he did, he'd most likely end up in an even more humiliating situation.

"Luki, let's go, if we stay here any longer we'll lose IQ points." Mikuo said as he motion Luki to follow him as he left.

Luki got up and followed him, but not before giving Luka a quick wink. "Later."

Luka had a quick shiver go up her spine because of that goodbye wink. 'I never want to be alone in a room with him, who knows what he'll do to me.' She looked over to the two blue siblings on the floor. 'Well, I guess it's not the worst that he showed up. Anyone's better than Mikuo and Luki.'

Kaito and Kaiko stood up and brushed the dust off of themselves. "Ah, that was hilarious, I can't believe he bought it. Nice acting sis, didn't think you'd be joining in, really put it over the top." Kaito said as he pulled in his sister and gave her quick, one armed hug.

"Of course oni-chan! Let's do it again soon, it's really fun!"

"Maybe, for now go bring IA over here, k?" Kaito asked. Kaiko gave her brother a nod and went to retrieve her friends.

Miku spoke to thank Kaito for what he done. "Thanks for the help Kaito, those creeps couldn't take a hint."

"Yeah, sure, no prob Miku; Luka you're her mentor right?"

Luka was reluctant to answer but did anyway. "Yeaah."

"Luka, do me a solid and watch Kaiko for me, I'm leaving right now."

Luka looked at Kaito with a surprised expression. "What, no way. Don't dump you're responsibilities on me."

Kaito sighed and took a seat across from Luka. He looked into her eyes, a hint of despondency evident in his. "Please, I need you to keep Kaiko with you, help her to be more independent."

"She seems plenty independent. Besides, you can't do that because?"

"... Becuase I'm the problem. Look, she really likes you, all morning she wouldn't stop talking about Luka this and Luka that, she down right adores you. I don't trust anyone to watch over Kaiko other than IA, but since she likes you so much, I don't think I'd have to worry if she's with you. Though she may be a bit gullible, I know that she could never like a person that doesn't have a good heart. Please, let her be with you three today."

Luka was speechless. She didn't want to do a favor for Kaito, however she did care for Kaiko fair amount in the short time they spent. Luka found Kaiko as an extremely sweet and innocent girl, though fifteen, was still very childish and seemed to need an older figure around most of the time. Luka groaned. "Alright, just don't mistake this as a favor to you, I just happen to like having her around."

Kaito smiled as he got out from his seat and took out his wallet. "Thanks, I appreciate it. Here's like two thousand yen for them for food, I'm going to use that fat guy that's about to pass here as cover so I can sneak away. And he's here, see ya." Kaito placed the money on the table, crouched behind the fat man and matched his walking place the fat man's, successfully sneaking away.

A few seconds later, Kaiko and IA arrived at the table. Kaiko scanned the area before speaking. "Huh? Did oni-chan go to get the food?"

Luka decided that she would ease in the fact that he snuck away from them. "Kaiko, want to join us for today? We had a few things in mind, if you're interested. You're welcome too, IA."

Kaiko became elated at Luka's invitation. "Yes, yes, I'd love to! Let me go get my oni-chan and bring him over here! I just have to find him first."

Luka cringed at that. 'Well, guess I'll have to tell her now.' "Yeah, about that... you're brother left you with us; He left you food money though, so it's okay, no need to worry."

"He left?... Without me?" Kaiko's face slowly became more and more sullen. Soon enough, she broke down and started crying. "O-O-Onniiii-chaaannn! Waaahhhh! Oniiiininini-chan! *sniffle* Oni-chaaaan!"

As IA patted her friend on the back, the three juniors were shocked, worried and distressed over Kaiko's reaction to her brother being gone. Luka was dumbfounded at what she was witnessing. 'What the- she's taking this terribly. Kaito said she was dependent, but I didn't think it could be this bad. She's fifteen for goodness sake and she's acting like a lost little kid.'

Meiko was the first of the three to check up on Kaiko. "Kaiko, calm down, there's no need to cry."

Miku joined in next. "Yeah, we were going to check out some stores, and you can't go in crying like that. Who cares if Kaito left, it's no big deal." Kaiko's wailing became louder at the mention of her brother. "Damn it, someone switch out with me."

Luka got up and walked over to Kaiko, and put her hand on her shoulder. "Kaiko." Luka said softly.

Kaiko look up with watery eyes and a quivering lip. "Mmmm! *sniff*"

"Hey, you're a big girl, right?" Kaiko nodded but still remained in her sorrowful state. "Well, big girls that don't cry get popsicles. You want a popsicle, don't you?" Kaiko nodded, wiping away the tears in her eyes. Luka extended her hand out, motioning Kaiko to take it. Kaiko took her hand and allowed Luka to lead the way.

"Can I have two?" She whimpered out.

"Sure you can. IA, you can sit with them, we'll be right back."

"U-um, ok."

As Luka lead her crying mentee, she began to process thoughts in her mind. 'Is this really how Kaiko is without her brother around? She seemed fine around school before he started going and yesterday at her house too. Is it just situations that she doesn't have a choice make her adjust without him? If I'm going to be mentoring her then I'll need to ask Kaito about this, as much as I'd rather not talk to him.'

* * *

Kaito slowly opened his eyes, his drowsiness wearing off from his long slumber. He had been laying down on his couch passed out for many hours, simply enjoying how quiet it was. 'Ah, that was a good nap, I should probably head to my bed soon. That was one heck of a hard walk home though. What were the odds of a bicyclist crashing into me, and that happening with two more on the way here? Kind of my fault though, Leia and Benkai told me enough times that I shouldn't get lost in my thoughts while walking, oh well.'

Kaito sat up from the couch and stretched out his stiff body. There wasn't a single light lit inside his house and that was just the way he liked it. It was almost pitch black, but he knew his house well enough to maneuver through it with little to no sight. He walked in to the kitchen and opened the freezer. Kaito hissed at the light from the fridge. 'I hate adjusting back to the light, I just want some more ice cream.' Before Kaito could grab some, he heard knocking from the door.

He went over and opened it to find his sister in mid jump towards him. Reflexively, he opened his arms and caught her. "Oniii-chan! You left me, you dumb meanie!"

"I did say I would."

"But... you didn't say good bye first. "

"If I did, you won't let me leave, you'd start crying like always."

"You're still stupid."

"No, keep going, I don't feelings."

"Oni-chan, I'm hungry. Feed me." She demanded.

Kaito released her from his grip and pushed her from toward the kitchen. "I bought some bento at the store, go heat it up." Before he could shut the door he heard a very audible 'Er herm'. "Huh?"

Kaito turned around to see Luka standing there, arms crossed and looking like she was expecting something. "Were you there the whole time?"

"Yeah, someone had to take her home."

Kaito quickly checked his phone for the time, then went back to talking. "Oh thanks. It's like nine now so you basically took care of Kaiko the entire day, I appreciate it." Kaito said, turning to go inside, but was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm.

"Oh, I don't think so. We're going to have a chat now."

Kaito sighed. He already had an idea what the subject would be. He stepped outside and closed the door for privacy. "Kaiko, right?"

Luka nodded. "She was bawling her eyes out when you left. You never said she'd react like that, explain."

Kaito leaned back on the door and crossed his arms. "Like I said, dependency problem."

"This is way beyond a simple dependency problem. A fifteen year old shouldn't at like that when her brother leaves, it's clearly escalated way farther than that!" Luka scolded.

"Hey, I'm fixing it. Stop nagging."

"And how exactly are you fixing it?" She asked.

"Easy, I'm pushing her on you." Kaito stated simply.

"You're just being lazy, you know that?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm the problem. She needs to learn to be fine without me whenever there's a chance to be together. Mentees are suppose to learn qualities or skills that their mentors have and stuff right? You seem pretty independent, so having her around you more often will hopefully show her she doesn't need me around all the time."

"... Those are fair points. Still, how could you let it get this out of hand?" Luka asked.

"Well, our mom works over seas and our dad died before we could really remember, so her clinging sort of just happened; Back then it was understandable, but before I knew it, I pampered her too much and too long."

"And now I have to fix your mistake, is that what you're saying?"

"More or less. Besides, you're her mentor, so it pretty much goes hand in hand."

Luka stared at Kaito for a while before resuming conversation. "You're lucky I like her."

Kaito smirked at Luka. "So you'll do it."

"Because, I like her and care for her well being." Luka stated once more.

Kaito gave her a warm smile. "Thanks. It's late, do I need to walk you home like last time?"

"No, it's only nine, I'll be fine. Anyway, I got Miku and Meiko waiting around the corner." Luka went to go meet up with her friends, but was stopped by Kaito's call.

"Luka."

The pinkette twisted her head back at Kaito. "Yes?"

Kaito paused for a long time before responding. "Never mind." Was all he said. He went back inside without another word.

Luka thought she should ask what he was going to say, but she didn't think he'd tell her as most people don't when you ask, and wasn't interested in Kaito too much either, so she decided to just let it be. 'It was probably nothing important.'

Kaito stood on the other side of the door, clearly reflecting on what he was going to say a few minutes ago. 'It's no good, I can't ask her to be my friend, I just don't know her enough to trust her. Geez, Kaiko why'd you have to give me a deadline?' Kaito thought back to earlier today when they were inside the anime shop.

_"End of next week, got it oni-chan?" Kaiko said as she searched through the t-shirt section of the store._

_"What! You're crazy, there's no way I can make a friend that quick!" Kaito argued._

_"Why not?"_

_"You know I can't be friends with someone I don't know for sure is a good person."_

_"Luka, Miku and Meiko are good people, be friends with them, I am now." She said as she looked at the shirt in the mirror and held it out in front of her chest._

_"You know that I need to know in my own way. Forget it I can't do it."_

_"Then IA won't make you lunch anymore. Have fun never eating lunch."_

_"When did this turn into a threat!? You're basically forcing me!"_

_Kaiko grabbed another shirt. "If I don't, you'll never do it. On the bright side, you finally have another friend that's **your** age."_

_"Evil. You're an evil little sister."_

_"I'm not evil... I just don't want to see you with those eyes anymore,... and some friends will make it go away!"_

_"For the last time, that's just me doing my usual thinking."_

_"Oni-chan, you're eyes are weird then, but I still want to make my oni-chan super happy so you're making a new friend! IA, look this one has fairy tale on it!"_

'I don't wanna starve. *sigh* I'll figure something out. I better check on Kaiko.' Kaito popped his head into the kitchen to find Kaiko already finished and throwing away the empty container.

"Hey, oni-chan, I need a favor!"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I need you to take me and IA to the Yuigoh card tournament tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because I love having my oni-chan around! Plus, you left me today so you have to make up for it!" Kaiko cheered.

"You still had fun without me. That should make me exempt from a guilt trip." Kaito reasoned.

She smiled back at him. "Doesn't matter, I just want oni-chan around!"

Kaito gave in to his sister, not that he ever really denies what she asks for. "Alright, I'll take you. What time is it start and where is it?" He asked.

"It starts at one and it's at the park." She answered.

"What? That early? I hate waking up before two."

Kaiko went over to her brother and poked his cheek repeatedly. "You sleep too much. Oni-chan, I don't want to be late tomorrow, so wake up when I get you, K?"

"Bring me some ice cream in the morning then. I need something to motivate me the early in the day." Kaito said.

"~Okay~. I'm going to catch up on my anime, are you going to sleep already?" Kaiko asked.

Kaito yawned as he walked away from his sister. "Yyeaah, I didn't get to nap enough today. Night, sis."

"~Night, night oni-chan.~" She sung.

As Kaito lay in his bed, he had one final thought before drifting off. 'Even though I give in to almost anything she wants, if it makes her happy... I'm glad I'm her brother to do that. Anything for my sweet little sister.'

* * *

**Thanks to:**

**-Author-chan123**

**-TheGamingGoddess**

**-Cure-chan**

**-lovewrath**

**For reviewing! Xen out!**


	5. A friend in one day

**No excuses, I just had a lot of stuff going on, didn't put as much time in as I wanted. On the bright side I redid chapters one and two, none of the content was changed, I just fixed up how you read it like how I did it with chapter 3. Chapter 5!**

* * *

Kaito rubbed his eyes. He finally had enough of the morning sun shining through the window onto his face. As he laid sprawled out across his bed, he couldn't help notice one big lump under the cover that stood out. He lifted said sheet up to find his sister nestled up to him in her night wear, awake, her eyes looking back into his.

"Morning oni-chan!" She greeted.

Kaito grabbed his pillow and smothered his sisters face with it. Kaiko flailed her arms around, smacking her brothers chest until he lifted it off her. "Not nice! Why are you always so grumpy in the morning?" Kaiko asked.

Kaito looked at the alarm clock, it read eleven-ten. He questioned why he even had an alarm clock in the first place, he never used it other then to check the time, he found the alarm function useless since he never once used it. He thought he'd be better off with just a regular clock. "Waking up before noon is wrong. And you, you should be sleeping in your bed. What's your excuse this time?" Kaito asked groggily.

Kaiko hid her face before answering. "I... had a feeling I'd have nightmares... so I wanted to sleep with you, I don't get nightmares when I sleep with you."

Kaito stared at his sister. "You were watching survival animes with gore in it before you went to bed, Weren't you?"

"... Those are some of the best though, it's not my fault."

Kaito sighed at his sister. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer to him. "Whatever, let yourself drift off to sleep then, big bro will make sure you have sweet dreams." He whispered in her ear while stroking her hair soothingly.

"Thanks... oni-chan..." Kaiko whispered back softly. She laid there only for a moment though before pushing herself off and getting out of the bed. "Now lets go to the park! Come on, be super fast, I want to get there early to practice!" She said.

'Damn it. She remembered. I should have finished the job.' "Fine, let me make the cereal. I'm not letting you make a mess again." Kaito said. Kaiko giggled nervously before agreeing.

* * *

It was a perfect day to be at the park. There was no wind, it wasn't too bright, no clouds in the sky, it felt neither hot or cold, everything was just right. Kaito took in his surroundings while sitting on the bench, enjoying how peaceful everything was as his sister rambled on about her new favorite topic. "And then Luka-"

Kaito cut her off before she continue. "I get it, Luka's a super amazing person. Don't you want to talk about anything else?" He asked.

"Nope, there's still more I want to tell you about Luka!" Kaiko said excitedly.

Kaito moaned. "You've been on her for thirty. Full. Minutes. You should be a little tired of it by now. It's almost one, when's IA getting here?" As he finished his sentence, he heard his sister next to him cry out for help.

"O-oni-chan! It went dark, do something!" He twisted his head to see what was the cause of her distress. Surprisingly, it was that blonde girl, whom he had had lunch with that one time, covering Kaiko's eyes with her hands. She was also accompanied by a blonde boy with matching clothes and looks, and IA.

"Don't help her! She needs to guess me right!" The blonde girl yelled.

Kaiko's mouth broke out into a huge smile. She pulled her hands off of her, jumped up from her seat, ran around the bench jumped hugged the cause of her previous blindness. "Rin, you finally made it! Did you bring it?" Kaiko asked expectantly.

"Duh! This tournament is serious, we gotta play in style!" Rin exclaimed.

Kaito watched them hug and bounce around. 'So that's her name. I not even sure if I heard it before. I probably did, but I forgot like usual. She's the real hyperactive type from what I can tell. That's a good match for Kaiko, hopefully they burn each other out or at least keep themselves occupied.' "Hey, are you two twins?"

The blond boy turned to Kaito to answer his question. "Y-yeah w-we are. You remember us, right? I'm Len and that's my sister Rin. I-it's amazing to met you again! A-all the things Kaiko's told us about you are incredible, it's no wonder you e-earned a name like blue devil!" He said loudly.

Kaito stretched his arms out before making a request for Len. "Yeaahh, mind keeping a lid on that? It's nothing personal, but the blue devil is nothing more then a story now to scare bad kids from acting up, K? That guy is long gone."

Len nodded in agreement. "S-sure! But, I'm not the one you should really be telling that to."

Kaito looked at him weirdly before realizing what he meant as he had an supercharged Rin invading his personal space. "Autograph my arm, come on! Write 'BLUE DEVIL MINION' on it, it'll be so cool when people see it, they'll be like 'Oh, you met him?' and I'll be like 'I do on a daily basis, he needs a bad ass like me to keep the town in check.' and-!"

Kaito cut her off there since it seemed like she'd go on forever if he didn't. "The town's been in check for years now and no one does anything to keep it that way. The blue devil doesn't exist and if you want an autograph from a made up legend so badly, head over to the junkyard, the rustic king will do it. Hell, give him some money and he'll write all over your body and give you a fricken light novel to go with it."

"You really think he would!? Oh, but first yours!" She exclaimed.

Kaito needed to divert Rin's attention away from him, he wanted to keep anything related to his past in the past, and she wanted to know everything about it. "Isn't you're little tourney starting soon? You should all get some practice in before it starts." Kaito suggested.

Kaiko grabbed Rin away from her brother and pulled her to Len and IA. "Oni-chan's right, we need to practice! We have to get first place, when's the next chance we're going to get that prize!"

"Prize? What are you guy's trying to get?" Kaito asked.

All of them answered him enthusiastically. "An original 'Right Arm of the Forbidden One' card! Its one of the rarest cards in the world!"

Kaito's sweat dropped at that. "Man, you guys really go crazy over those rare cards. I thought it was just Kaiko and IA with that obsession, but looks like there's four."

"Oni-chan, you just don't get it! It's super amazing to have, we're getting that card and beating every other team! Together we're the ultimate team!"

"Team? This is a team tournament? So what's your team name?" He asked.

Kaiko smirked and stood tall. "Len, equip me!" Len did as he was told and attached a duel disk to her left arm. "We're team GX and I'm Obelisk Blue!"

'Oh god no. Why did I ask? What is wrong with me?'

Next chimed in the terrible twins showing off their duel disks. "We're Ra Yellow, the king and queen of tag teams!"

IA, however, looked at the ground, feeling too embarrassed to wear a duel disk. "S-slifer Red. I guess I'm a bit of a slacker since my hair is just... a shade... of red. Seriously guys, do I really have to say it every time we come to these tournaments!?"

The three duelists replied to her the same way. "Every. Single. Time. Now finish it!"

IA mustered up what little self confidence she had to just barely whisper it out. "G-g-get y-your g-game on."

Kaiko grabbed her friend by the arm and dragged her off toward the many tables at the park where other duelists were prepping themselves for the tournament. "Come on then, let's all get our game on! Oni-chan, be sure to watch us win, okay?"

"Gotcha. Good luck, Kaiko."

"I don't need luck when... I believe... in the cards."

'Please... stop... it just hurts.'

The twins followed their teammates, but Len turned around to inform Kaito on one more thing. "Oh, by the way, our older sister came to look after us too. Do you mind if she sits with you?"

Kaito rubbed the back of his head before responding. "Sure, where is she?"

"She's standing behind you, on her phone. Her name is Neru." Len finished joining his friends deeper in the park. Kaito bent his head backwards and over the bench to find a blonde haired girl with a huge ponytail on the side of her head, engrossed in her phone. "Ah." Was all he said.

* * *

Both elder siblings sat on the bench in silence. Neru stayed on her phone, continuously pressing buttons. Meanwhile, Kaito was bored out of his mind. He had tried talking to Neru a few times, which was out of character for Kaito considering how reserved he is, but on a one-on-one setting he felt more at ease and less for the need to withdraw, but only received her pausing from her phone for a bit before she would resume doing whatever she did on it.

Honestly, the only reason Kaito even tried talking to her was because of the intense boredom he felt. Sure, his sister was playing cards and he was in reasonable view of it, but the game didn't interest him to that extent. It was then Kaito only had three options left for when he felt bored.

First off, sleep. That was out of the question though, since Neru took up the other half of the bench he would lay down on; And Kaito could only enjoy sleeping when he was in a somewhat comfortable position. Second, he could cause mischief, which was also a no go. With his sister nearby, he'd get caught and nagged in no time, regardless of how absorbed Kaiko was in her game. This left him with only one option, take the most interesting thing he see's and figure out how to entertain himself with that.

Kaito looked at Neru's phone and figured since it occupied her so much, it might hold some enjoyment for him. 'How am I going to take it though...' He thought before coming up with his plan. Once he dwelled on it more, Kaito carried out his plan.

He reached down and picked up a few pebbles. He then aimed and flicked one at Neru's forehead. Neru turned to look at Kaito as to why he would do that; Kaito pointed behind Neru, but she didn't check. Instead, she gave him a annoyed look, looked at her phone for a bit, typed something, paused again, then resumed her constant button pressing. Kaito repeated his previous action, causing the same effect again except with a glare. He did it again, earning an extremely annoyed expression from Neru before she did her usual pause and text, except this time she finally looked in the direction Kaito was looking at.

That's when he striked. In an instant, he took the phone from her, stood up and started playing with the phone with his right hand. The other was busy keeping a blonde at bay. Neru tried to retrieve her phone, but was kept far out of its range as Kaito's hand held the top her head in position, stopping her from coming any closer as arms failed around, desperately trying to grab what was her's.

"Sorry, but I'm bored. So, I'm going to go through your phone and find something to do." He stated simply. He looked at the screen, which was currently on the text screen. 'I wonder who she was texting this whole time.' Kaito checked, but found no sent messages, only thousands of drafts and unsents. Curious as to why this was, he clicked on drafts. The first one he read said: _Fine, I'll look already! Just stop throwing rocks at me!_

The blue boy became confused. 'What the? ... Wasn't I doing that though?' Kaito read the next draft: _Seriously? That's twice now! Just ask me to look over there instead of throwing a rock at me and I will._

Moving on to the next one it read: _Oww. What was that for? What's over there that you need to throw things at me?_

'This is what I did. She was talking to me the whole time? She was responding through texts. She didn't send any of them though. She doesn't have my number so it makes sense, but why didn't she ask me then?' Kaito's thoughts made him more and more interested in find out. He decided to look through her drafts; He wasn't going to look through all of them, that would take too much time to accomplish. He planned to just read a couple before skipping a few dozen at a time.

Neru arms became more spasmodic the longer her phone was in Kaito's possession. 'No, no, no! I need it back! You can't look through my phone, no one can! Don't look through my texts, I don't want anyone to see them anymore! You can't know, how, how... pathetic I am...'

Eventually, Neru gave up. Her arms dangled, admitting her defeat, Kaito still holding keeping her at bay the same way. After he finished reading the amount he desired he spoke to Neru. "Want to go get ice cream?"

Neru was baffled at his offer. She couldn't decide whether or not she should be happy that someone finally asked her to go do something together, or furious that after he took the sole thing that gave her solace in life, invaded her privacy and pelted her with rocks, and that he acted like he hadn't done anything wrong.

"You should say yes if you want your phone back; And nodding doesn't count, you have to voice it out."

It was then that Neru knew she should be pissed off, but had to comply to get her device back. She took in a deep breath to prepare herself. It had been a very long time since she last spoke, her nerves overwhelmed her as she uttered out her sentence. "Y-...y-... y-... y-yes."

"Yes, what?"

'Oh, he is pushing it!' "Y-y-yesss... I want... t-to get i-i-ice c-cream."

* * *

Neru and Kaito walked through downtown, each eating from their own cup of ice cream. Kaito savoured his blueberry flavored ice cream, and Neru enjoyed eating hers but didn't fully focus on the taste of her lemon ice cream. Her mind was more on how to acquire her phone. 'Dang it, which pocket did he put it in?'

"Hey."

"Mmm?"

"We're next to the town arcade, wanna play some games? Answer fast, I might break your phone."

"O...k."

"Sorry, all answers must be at least five words long or you don't get points. Your gonna flunk the test at this rate."

"I'm... not use.. to talking, ok!"

Kaito smirked at her. "I know. Now, retry the question, you have to for a passing grade. Oh, say it real nicely too, it's a requirement." He teased.

"Fine... I would love to go to the arcade." Neru said. Truthfully, she really did want to go, she finally had the chance to go with someone. Neru could have gone there by herself, but she would have felt weird and out of place since everyone would have a companion except her. Unfortunately, the circumstances gave her mixed feelings because of Kaito's actions.

"Good answer! Now it's time for the physical part of the test, don't suck at the games or you fail."

* * *

After two hours passed, Kaito and Neru emerged out from the arcade, smiles plastered across their face's. Kaito gave Neru a small shove. "Hey, who said you could win so much! I'm a sore loser, you're not allowed to beat me!" He joked.

"You're a sore winner too! You win one match out of every ten games we played and you wouldn't shut up about it! Get your skills up, fool!" Neru joshed.

"Now you don't have problem talking! Feeling confident just cause you won a little bit, want me to kill you!? I will get even, I wanna feel better about myself losing so much! Oh, wait a sec. There's some stuff I want from that crane machine." Kaito walked over to said machine, inserted money and started playing.

"Hey, the tournament should be ending soon, we need to go now." Kaito ignored her and carried on playing. Shortly after she finished her sentence, he won a stuffed animal.

"Great, now let's-" Neru silenced herself when she saw Kaito pick up his prize and throw it inside the arcade. "Why did you throw it!? Wasn't that the whole point you played!?"

Kaito looked at her with bored eyes. "Nope, that prize was in the way of the ones I want and I don't care for stuffed animals. I figured a kid inside would want it instead. Just so you know, this might take a while. Man, I'm glad the machines here are super cheap to play on or I'd go broke."

Neru walked over and blocked where he would insert his yen. "They're going to wonder where we are, lets just-"

Neru was cut off by Kaito. "I could throw your cell in there, it'd be funny to see who wins it later. Or... I could play for a few more minutes." Kaito said as he waved her phone in his hand, tormenting her with the fact that though it was right in front of her, she wouldn't be able to take it back.

'He's still threatening me with that?! Geez, let up on that already. *sigh* I don't have a choice, I really need that back.'

Ten more minutes passed and Kaito still hadn't got all what he desired from the machine. "Kaito, can you give up now? I need to check on Rin and Len, at least give me my phone so I can text them." Neru asked.

Kaito stared daggers at the crane, as if it would improve it's grip. "In a sec, I just want that other thing in there and we can go. And no way on the phone, I know you won't be able to."

Neru groaned. Kaito was right, Neru for the longest time couldn't talk, call, or even text anyone since she had got that phone. 'I was suppose too...' Neru thought as she leaned on the machine Kaito played on. It was then she heard a loud groan form Kaito.

"Ah, damn it! It's dropped right on the line where the wall is! It just needs to move one more millimeter and it'll fall in! Screw this!" Kaito got on one knee and stuck his arm up the machine where you claim your prize.

"K-kaito, don't do that, do you know how much trouble you'll be in?!"

"It's fine, I basically won it already. Ehhh, almost got it."

"It doesn't matter! Didn't you get win of those tiny boxes already? Give up on this one already!" Kaito refused to listen. He continued to grasp for the box until he finally tipped it over to his side, making it fall down.

"Yes, I got it!" Unfortunately, that's went one of the workers witness his actions.

"Hey, you can't do that! Boss, we got a thief!"

Neru panicked and started shaking the blue offender. "Look what you did! we gotta go now!"

Kaito laughed nervously at her. "Uhhh, heh heh. S-suurrre, l-let me c-cut off my arm real q-quick and well go. H-heh aheh heh."

"Y-you didn't." Alas, Kaito had done exactly what she hoped he didn't do. He got his arm stuck. "Just wiggle it out and move!"

"What do you think I'm doing!? You think I'm comfortable down here! I ain't proposing to this thing, I'M STUCK! Help me out, pull my arm!" He asked as he tried to dislodge his arm out from it's position.

Neru was about to help him when she noticed something sticking out of his pocket. It was her phone. 'It's right there... I can grab it right now and he can't stop me...' Neru thoughts ceased when other voice started yelling.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing to my machinery!? I'm going to hand you over to the cops for this!" Said the man who Neru assumed owned the place as he ran toward them.

At that moment she made up her mind. She grabbed Kaito's shoulder and started violently yanking as hard as she could. 'He may have stolen my phone, used it to force me to talk, and looked through my texts, but... even so... I had fun with him. I won't ditch him here!'

"Owowowow ahhh! It hurts, pain, ahh, ow! You're gonna rip it off! I was joking about cutting it off! Be gentle, this is my first time putting in here, it needs to come out the same way!"

"Really!? Making jokes like that now!? Deal with it, you did it to-" Right then, his arm slid out along with the small box he grabbed on the way out.

"It's out! Let's go!" Kaito screamed as he picked himself off the ground, grabbed Neru by the arm and sprinted back to the park.

* * *

"Next time *pant* *pant* don't stick you're arm up there." Neru told him.

Kaito rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry about that. On the bright side we got away and we're back, just like you wanted. By the way, here you go." Kaito took out her phone and tossed it to her.

Instinctively, she cuddled with it. 'Finally, I've missed you so much.' The blonde girl texted something on her phone, but this time she showed it to Kaito. "_Next time you try to steal my phone, I'll send you a curse text."_

"The heck is that?"

Neru repeated her previous action. "_It's a hex that'll end up killing you unless you send that text to twenty more people."_

Kaito's face filled with horror. 'Son of a- I don't know that many people! And only half of the ones I know don't even have phones! How does she even know how to do that!? I-I-Is she a w-w-witch!? Okay, that phone is off limits now!' "A-Ah. W-well h-hexes aren't r-real so who c-cares. Ha ha, ah ha ha ha. Wait, are you just gonna use your phone to talk now or..."

"Sometimes." "_Just when I feel too anxious to talk about certain things."_

"Well, that's a step forward."

_"You're... your not judging me are you?"_

Kaito tittered. "Course not. Everyone has something they gotta deal with. If anything, I'm most messed up person I know."

"I can see that!." Neru laughed.

"You'll definitely talk to get a cheap shot in with me, won't you?" He joined the blond in laughter.

Neru's laughter slowly went away as she saw a certain figure next to her siblings group and he just then, grabbed Rin's arm. 'Isn't that... the hair... the clothes... Oh no!' She thought.

Quickly, she grabbed Kaito and dragged him to a few bushes near her brother and sister, and hid behind them. Once again, typed her thoughts to Kaito. "_There's a really dangerous guy next to your sister and my siblings. We need to get them away from him. We need to think of something fast."_

'Dangerous!? Who is-... wow, she is sooo off.' "Uh, Neru? They'll be fine, let's just walk ove-"

"Shush! Trust me, I've heard about this guy, he's as dangerous as it gets."

'Yeah, but in the idiot way.' "Neru, believe me it's-" Kaito stopped talking to read other text she held out to him.

_"Here's the plan. You and I are going to distract him by tackling him, after that we grab everyone and ran as fast as we can to the nearest police station. Got it. Ready?"_

"Neru, listen to me-"

"Go!"

Kaito sighed as Neru ran out to tackle the stranger. He got up and followed, hoping this wouldn't embarrass her too badly.

* * *

"There you go! Never thought I'd be giving out an-" The man's senses flared up for a moment, but calmed down when he saw his threat. 'Is that midget after me?'

Just as she got close, the man did what Kaito had done to Neru when he had stolen her phone, he kept their distance with one hand.

"Nee-chan?" Rin and Len said.

"Guys! Run, run to a police station, quick! Hurry!" Both blondes jaws dropped, too stunned to say anything.

Kaito came from behind and yanked Neru away from her target. "That's enough. Listen to me next time, you pretty much embarrassed yourself just now. Neru, this is Benkai, my friend. Benkai, your rep is getting kinda dark, she thought that you were dangerous and about to do something to her brother and sister." Kaito explained.

"Ahhhh. I've actually been getting that a lot lately. The challenges I've been getting, most of them wanted to facedown here instead of the junkyard, I guess people are witnessing it as random assault. Well, I was just passing through, see you later. As for you blondie, I'll have your light novel next week, just remember my two-thousand yen." Benkai said as he waved good bye and left.

'She actually asked!? How much of a fangirl is she?! And him, why would he do that!? I was joking damn it, don't write a stupid book and I better not be in it if he does! I'll beat the crap out of him if he does!' Kaito let go of Neru and faced her. "Feel silly now, don't you? Wait for the explanation, it's usually very important."

Neru flushed from embarrassment. "_Okay, I get it. I was just worried about Len and Rin, stop pointing it out."_

Kaito swiped her phone from her and inputted something in before giving it back. "That doesn't count as stealing, I was borrowing it. Don't curse me." Kaito walked over to her sister and IA and threw his arms over their shoulders. "See ya later." He told Neru as he took his friends home.

* * *

Neru looked at her brother and sister, who still had the same shocked expression, apologetically. "S-sorry. I guess I embarrassed you." Neru looked at the ground in sadness. Instead of protecting her siblings, all she had done was embarrass them; Her intentions were good, but since she never spoke around them or anyone, for what reason would they think it was? She wasn't sure what to expect from them, but she never could have of thought of what they were about do next.

"Big sis!" They both yelled as they ran and pulled her into a huge hug.

"Huh?"

Rin was the first to vocalize her thoughts. "Thank god you're speaking again! I can't remember the last time you talked to us!"

Len expressed his feelings next. "We were so worried about you! We missed your voice so much! We love you big sis, don't stop talking to us, please!"

"Yeah! We love you sooo much, don't ever stop talking again! We love your voice!"

Neru began to tear up. After all her years of silence, she thought that she had become so disconnected with them. In reality, the bond they had was a strong as ever. Even though they never heard her say the words, they always believed their sister deeply cared for them. "T-thank you... I-I-I-" Neru was about to finish her sentence when her phone went off. She felt compelled to check it, it rarely ever happened.

* * *

"Third place! We were so close! But, at least we have a guaranteed spot in the next one for his left leg! You'll come with us for the next one won't you, oni-chan?" Kaiko asked.

Kaito looked up at the sky and exhaled. "Maybe. I'm kinda hungry, if IA's food tonight is extra good, then sure."

IA nudged Kaito. "Did you refill the fridge? It was almost empty yesterday."

"Could you come with us to the grocery store too?"

IA giggled. As always, Kaito put it off to the last minute and now needed her help. "Sure, but there's a limit on the ice cream!"

"...Still gonna buy as much as I feel like anyway." He muttered.

"Then you feel like four tubs will last the week!"

"Ehhh! No way, I need a least ten! Stop trying to- Oh, before I forget." Kaito whipped out his phone and began texting.

"Oni-chan, what are you doing?"

Kaito smirked and put his phone away. "Ahh, nothing much. I was just texting my new friend."

Kaiko's eyes lit up in glee, her brother had made a friend, and hopefully it met her specifications. "Who is it!? When did you met them!? Show them to me, they need to meet your super kawaii sister!"

Kaito smirked before putting his phone away, though you could see a hanging ornament attached to a small chain to his phone in his pocket. It was a light blue ice cream scoop on a cone. "I'm pretty sure both of you met her already." Kaito started to think back on all off the texts he had read from Neru's phone.

_"I finally got my phone today! I don't even know who to send this text to! Eh, whatever I'll save this a a draft. With this I'll start making friends at school. Sure, I don't do to well talking, but with this I won't be so nervous and mess up! Oh I know who I'll text first, Rin and Len! They don't have them yet, but next year they get their phones! I'll wait just so I can text them how much I love them!" _

_"Len and Rin's birthdays are coming up soon! I can't wait to be the one to send them their very first messages!"_

_"Mom, dad, I'm having more trouble with talking, every single time someone from my class comes to me, I just go on my phone and pretend I'm busy with it. ... Never mind, I won't send this text. I don't want to worry you, I never send these anyway." _

_"They got their phones. I didn't message them though, I... think I'm too nervous. I haven't been talking to anyone lately, it's just easier this way. I wonder if they still love me?"_

_"Still haven't sent them it yet. I really want to tell them how much I love them, but every single time my thumb gets to the send key, I can't press it. It just freezes up, I love them, right? I want to tell them how much I love them, why is it so hard?"_

_"I give up, I know I can't do it. I can't send a stupid message to anyone! I type it out when they talk to me, but I don't send it; I don't even show it from my phone! I'm tired of this."_

_"I start high school in a few days; I'm not even nervous. I don't have to worry about making friends or bullies, apparently I'm the super popular girl who only texts and talks to the coolest of the cool. When did they make up that stupid rumor? Who cares, school is boring me."_

_"Of course I was right, everyone thinks I'm super cool, but is too scared to say a word to me. At least I have my phone, I don't know what I'd do without it."_

There were numerous more texts of Neru's that came to mind and after thinking about each and everyone he read; He felt completely confident in his next thought. 'I... definitely made a good friend today. She's a good person, I know it.'

* * *

_"Text me whenever you want, but first you have two people you need to send a message to first. Also, send a thank you text for your gift, I almost lost an arm trying to get it for your phone."_

_ Sent from - Ice cream addict boy_

That text broke down the dam that kept her tears from flowing down. It was so sweet and kind. She had only known him for a day, but Kaito had brought her so much happiness and broke her out of her shell, no, he removed the muzzle over her mouth, the invisible hand that refused to let the words leave her mouth. Wiping away the tears from her eyes, she told hold of her phone and sent two messages that sent two messages that should have been sent long ago.

Rin and Len heard their phones alert them of a text. Neru gave them a quick squeeze before gesturing them to look at their phone. Both looked at their screens and read. _"Sorry I never sent you this text before. I've always tried, but something always came over me and I just backed out. I really want you guys to know that I love you, I really do. I've always loved you and I always will, never doubt that. I'm so glad that you still love a lame sister like me, who never talks, after all this time. Thank you, for loving me all this time. I was so happy to hear that. I promise we'll talk a lot more, I want to make up all the conversation we missed out on because of me. I love you two."_

"Big sis! We love you too!" Was all they had to say as they hugged Neru.

Neru looked at her phone, ready to send one more message, when she noticed something on a chain attached to it. It was a miniature phone that looked exactly like her's. It flipped opened and the colors matched hers perfectly. 'When did this get on here?' Then her mind remembered Kaito's text from before.

_"Also, send a thank you text for your gift, I almost lost an arm trying to get it for your phone."_

Neru smiled as she sent a text to the first friend she ever made.

* * *

*Bzzt* *Bzzt* 'Mm?' Kaito flipped open his blue phone to she what he received. 'Oh, this is Neru's number. Crap, I forgot to put in a name for her in my contacts when I put my number in her's. First though, what did she text me?'

_"You're the first friend I ever made, so don't get your arm stuck in more things, baka!"_

Kaito laughed at her text. 'I'll take that as a thank you, but before I forget again.' Kaito added her to the only other contacts he had. On the phone screen it read:

_-Mooooooom_

_-Super extroverted, energetic, adorable little sister_

_-Introverted, clam, cute little sister_

And his newest addition: _Phone addict girl_

* * *

**_That would have been a great spot to end it, but I'm really late so you get more. That and I'm setting up for the small time skip._**

* * *

Monday had come and as usual, Kaito was asleep at his desk. Luckily, school wouldn't start for another ten minutes, so he wasn't breaking any rules yet, not that it mattered. At the front left comer of the class, Luka was changing the bandages on Gakupo's nose.

"Your nose is really a mess you know, and you have to get these all changed every four hours. I don't want you in these kinds of situations often, I know being in the disciplinary committee puts you in harms way, but your well being comes first, understood?" Luka asked.

Gakupo looked down at his desk, preoccupied with his thoughts.

"Gakupo, look at me."

He reluctantly complied. The second he saw her eyes, Gakupo knew he was done for. He could never say no to those soft, warm eyes he had submitted time and time again. "Understood." Gakupo rubbed the handle of his wooden sword strapped to his waist with his thumb. 'I'll have to tell her. I need to come clean.' "I'm sorry." He said.

Luka looked at him oddly. "For what?"

"The fight. When that rule became official, I saw it as a chance. I wanted to show off the results of all the training I've done over the years to you three, to show that I've grown from the kid that was more of a diversion then a defender."

"Gakupo, you're immensely strong. You help keep the peace here in school, you've taken down plenty of bad kids."

"You all never saw it though. I just saw an opportunity and I took it. I did this to myself and caused you nothing but distress."

Luka reached for the one hand he could use and placed her hands on top of his. "Gakupo, we don't need to see it. We know our friend won't give a second thought to come help us when we need it, that's all we need to know, and it's something we've already seen." It was a sweet moment between two friends... until Miku jumped in.

"La la la la, sweet looove, young lo- Ah! Owie! Ah!" Miku yelped once more from another kick to her leg from the annoyed pinkette.

"Really, Miku? When are you going to get tired of this? For the last time, there's nothing going on between us."

"Yeah, sure. That's totally why you fricken kicked me twice." Miku said bitterly.

Meiko came from behind and started squeezing Luka's lips with her hands. "Gakupo! You have had your honor destroyed by a wandering warrior, as a samurai you must get more! Quickly, steal the princess Luka's honor! You must take away her firs- Whoa ho ho, nice try Luka!" Meiko said as she jumped back to avoid Luka's kick. "I saw that coming, nice try. I'm not Miku, you can't get me that- Ah! Miku, what the heck! We're on the same side!" Meiko yelled as she gripped the foot Miku had smashed with hers.

Miku moved her fingers in circles on Gakupo's desk as she mumbled out some words. "I was the only one that got hurt. It's not fair, so you gotta share my pain."

Meiko put the tealette into a headlock. "Oh yeah? Want me to shove my foot up you-"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Look who it is! You'll never believe it!" Miku choked out.

"Like I'm going to let you distract me! There's no escaping my pay back!"

"I'm serious, I swear! It's Neru!" At the mention of her name Meiko released Miku and looked toward the door to see that Miku wasn't lying. It was indeed Akita Neru at the door. This attracted everyone's attention in the class room, even Gakupo's, though he tried to act uninterested.

Everyone's eyes were on Neru as she scanned the room with a bored expression on her face. She soon found what she was for, walking over to Kaito and taking the seat in front of him. Neru poked the sleep boy's head in an attempt to get him up, but it had no effect. Since Kaito didn't wake up, she made her next attempt was much more drastic. With her cellphone in had she smacked the top of Kaito's head with, causing him to wake up, gripping his head in pain.

"Ahhh! That's smarts! Oh, sup Neru?" Neru got on her phone and texted. Soon, Kaito phone went off. Knowing it was from Neru he knew he'd be having a text conversation with her now. Everyone in the classroom watched them communicate. Neru was known around school as someone very popular, and only would talk or text anyone that was considered the coolest of the cool. These were made up rumors, as Neru was just too shy to speak. No one knew though, so they eventually came to that conclusion and so, Neru gained the reputation of extremely popular girl, which made most students too scared to even approach her; When they did, she would only text, with her constant bored expression always present.

Miku huddled up her friends and started whispering. "See, I told you! And she's texting Kaito! How does he know her!? He's the new kid, I thought he didn't know anyone!"

Meiko went next. "Well they look like they do. Maybe Kaito is one of the people Neru texts all the time. Why didn't he mention it, he'd be one of the top guys in the school in an instant if he did. Maybe we should ask him."

Luka went once Meiko finished. "I don't think that's our business. Look, it's shocking and I'm curious too, but we're not asking. That's just being nosy. It's his life, I don't want to be involved in any kind of info prying you two are about to do, and you shouldn't do it either."

Miku paid no heed to Luka's advice. "Nah, it'll be fine, Kaito won't mind if we ask. It's nothing too personal anyway, we just want to know how he knows Neru."

Luka sighed. "At least you're not interested Gakupo." Luka looked to her friend to find him occasionally glancing over to the two people of interest. 'Gakupo, why?'

Kaito and Neru wrapped up their messaging session and flip closed their phones. Neru got up and headed out the door, but not before giving Kaito a quick smile. This simple action caused everyone to turn to stone from shock. 'She can make other faces!' They all thought.

"See you then, Kaito."

Once they heard her voice for the first time ever, they felt as if they were just sniped dead center in the forhead in their stonified state. 'She talked!'

"K, see ya."

When Neru left the room, everyone in the class, with the exception of Luka, Miku, Meiko and Gakupo, swarmed around Kaito. All the students fired off questions at Kaito left and right, they were relentless for their answers they desired.

"You know Neru?!"

"Hey, would you introduce me? Do me a solid!"

"OMG, how did you get to be her text buddy!? Tell us!"

"What were you texting about?!"

"Kaito, how'd you meet her?!"

"Dude, how'd you have the guts to talk to her?!"

"I want to be pretty like her, could you get her to text me tips?! Oh, could you give her my number too, she can message me any time!"

Kaito felt overwhelmed with so many people around him. The talking, shouting, the lack of personal space, and the questions was driving him crazy. He couldn't take anymore, it was over stimulating his brain. This forced Kaito to shut down and fall back asleep.

"We can kiss asking him about Neru good bye now." Meiko sighed.

Miku laughed at her friend. "Please, I got a back up! Right, Luka?"

"You leave Kaiko alone! Just how invasive can you get today?"

"It's no big deal, geez! You're so cranky today, it's just a simple question 'Hey, how does Kaito know Neru?'; Just chillax, besides I can ask IA too!"

"You can never some things alone can't you?"

"It's one of my many charming features, and the reason we're besties!" Luka laughed with her friend. "Well half of that's right!" "HEY!"

* * *

Lunch time came around and everyone was leaving to get a good spot to eat at. Kaito was just about to get past the door when he was tackled by a certain teal-haired girl. He kept his ground though, merely shaking back and for a bit. "Hey yo Kaito, where you going?"

"To lunch."

"Perfect! Me, Luka and Meiko we're going to show your sister and IA around the clubroom today for lunch, want to join us?"

"Can't. I made plans with Neru, maybe some other time."

"Wait a sec! Sooo... you're friends with Neru, huh?"

"Yep."

"That's really amazing ya know, she's, like, mega picky who she talks to! How long you known each other?"

"Um, since yesterday pretty much, she's a pretty alright person. I don't want to be late, so I'll see you later. Oh, tell IA not to bother making dinner for me today, I'll be working till after ten." Kaito said as he exited the classroom.

"Sure, I tell her!" 'Dang it, I couldn't bring him along.'

* * *

Kaito looked outside the window from the nurses office from the second floor, staring at the groups of students chatting amongst themselves. "This just isn't my style." He commented.

"Oh, sorry. I like the here because who would go to the nurse's office during lunch? Not even the nurse is here." Neru said sadly.

"Oh no, this is perfect! I like it when there's not that many people around, this here is just right for me. I meant school life in general. I'm really not cut out for it, my old life style is just way to different to adjust from this."

"Come on, two more years of high school won't kill you. Now that I think about it, I don't remember ever seeing you around before."

"That's cause I stopped going to school when I was five. I've been 'homeschooled' till now."

_"Mind if I ask what you were doing then? I mean if it's not a bother, that is a lot of time to yourself."_ Neru texted.

"Mmm... well... alright. Just a little though, and this stays between you and me."

_"I won't tell a soul!"_

"Good. Where to start? Hmmm... I guess why I got homeschooled in the first place is good place to start."

* * *

"Wooow! You're clubroom is amazing!" Kaiko said as she looked around the clubroom.

There was two electric lead guitars, a bass guitar, a drum set, a piano, an electronic keyboard, trumpets, violins, microphones, speakers and even some recording equipment. Miku stepped in front of IA, Kaiko, and Run and bowed. "Welcome to project diva! Future pop idols in the making! What do you mentees think?"

IA, Rin and Kaiko responded enthusiastically. "It's cooler then you said!"

Kaiko ran around the room touching various things that interested her, and Rin pretended to play the guitar. IA, however, did the opposite. She stared at a violin and held her hand out to touch it, but never did. She was much more hesitant then her energetic counterpart.

Luka put a hand on her shoulder and nodded, reassuring her it was ok. IA picked it up, doing nothing but staring at it. "It's ok, we won't mind if you try playing it." Luka said.

"N-no, it's not that, I just wanted to hold it. Kaito has one at home and he's very protective of it. I'm was remembering how he played it sometimes, he doesn't play as often as he used to."

'Kaito? He knows how to play that? Never would have imagined it.' Luka thought.

"Really? Maybe he could come over sometimes and give us some lessons. That's the only instrument we have trouble playing, none of us can play it too well." Miku said. IA put back to violin and went to examine something else.

Meiko had something she wanted to do first. "Hold on! Before you we go any further... club specialty intro's!" Meiko went over to a rack of clothes of various designs and variety from yukata's to casual wear, and even classy dresses. "Everyone in this clubroom sings, dances and plays instruments, but each one of us has a specific skill that's better than everyone else's. Mine happens to be costume making! When we make vids, I make the super cute outfits! If you're lucky I might make you one for keeps like I do for them. Luka, you're next!"

"Oh, ok." Luka walked over to a big mat in the corner of the room, taking off her boots before stepping on it. "I'm the dance coordinator. I help make up moves for performances and our music videos. I help others perfect them as well. Also, we always practice our moves on this mat. If there's a accident, like you fall, trip; Or spin or jump wrong, you'll be safe. Miku, you're the only one left, finish it."

"Aww yeaaah! Best for last!" Miku ran and hopped on a spinning chair with wheels and twirled around on it until it reached a desk next to an open window. On the desk there was sheets sprawled everywhere, a few open music books and multiple pencils in a can. "I'm the song writer of the group! I make most of the songs, though Meiko and Luka made one or two of their own, they came to me for help with lyrics, rhythm, meaning, the type of genre it'll fit best, and when they get stumped writing it, which was a lot. I know, I'm the best, aren't I?"

"Wow, Miku your amazing!" Kaiko praised.

"And I'm am almost a good a dancer as Luka, we're almost tied when it comes to dancing!"

Meiko and Luka's faces looked ashamed at Miku's comment. "No, no, no, no. Not even close, it's no where near close, it's not even in the same region." They both said.

"Hey! Don't hate on my moves!"

Luka sighed. "Then show them the one move you forced me to let you do in the video we recorded. The 'I'll Miku Miku you (For reals)' one. And to be extra clear, she tried to make me make most of the moves revolve around it."

"Enough talk! Watch me go!" Miku jumped up from her seat and preformed her dance move. All she did though was shake her butt as hard as she could.

Luka hid her face from the others. "See? It's just... I don't even know what to call it." IA and Rin nodded in agreement with Luka, but Kaiko's view differed greatly, since she was copying Miku.

"Hey guys, check me out! I'm doing it!" Luka walked over and stopped Kaiko from copying Miku any further. "I'll teach you real dancing, so please, don't... ever do that again."

"Ok! Can you teach me one now?"

* * *

_Hey, don't cut me off there! I know you're holding out a lot of major info! You're such a tease, you know that. Hanging around with someone like him, I bet there is way more then you're letting on."_

Kaito smiled at his blonde friend. "Of course I am! I try to avoid talking about my past anytime I can, leave it back there where it belongs."

_"Is what you're not telling me that bad? I'm sorry I asked then. There must of a lot of terrible incidents."_

"What? No, it's nothing like that! In fact, those memories are the best ones, I really cherish them! It's just that... there was this one incident that ruined everything and I still don't know how to deal with it. I tried to face it, deal with it and move on, but that didn't work. It still occasionally pops in my head and I get lost in thought, and for hours too. I accepted it, but I can't seem to move on whenever it comes to mind. So I started distancing myself from my past little by little so I won't be plagued with thoughts about it. Until I figure out how to move on, it's my best option."

"Well, if those memories are so good and there's a lot of them, it must still be worth whatever went wrong." Neru said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't change a thing! Even that one bad thing, who knows, without it happening, maybe something won't happen later in my life that I'll love even more!" Kaito took a bite out of his lunch before continuing. "There's actually something I really wanted to tell you since yesterday, that I didn't notice for a while." Neru leaned in closer, wondering what it could be. "That... you're so fricken short! You're little sister and brother are taller then you! That's so sad!"

_"Screw you! Don't make fun of my height! You're such a jackass!"_

Kaito kept laughing, banging on the table with his fist. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But it's too funny! What happen to your growth spurt?!"

"You're just asking for it."

* * *

Kaiko and Rin laid on the mat in uncomfortable positions, while IA and Luka seemed to be doing a matching finishing pose. "IA, you're amazing at this! You're pretty proficient for a beginner. We know you have a good voice, but this too? We might offer you a spot in the club soon!" Luka praised.

IA played with her hair, feeling shy about the praise she was receiving. "T-thank you."

Kaiko sat up and cried to her mentor. "Heeey, what about me? Am I really bad, am I no good? I fell down, do I even have a chance?"

Luka bent over and helped Kaiko stand. "No, not at all. Believe or not, Miku had a terrible start when it came to dancing. You did a lot better then she did, with a little practice, you might end up being better then her too."

"R-really!?"

Luka began whispering in her ear. "Between you and me, it takes weeks for her to get just a few moves right, she messes them up more then anyone."

Rin called out to her mentor. "Meiko, what about me?"

"You'll be fine. It's waaay better then Miku's first try."

"You two are jerks! My dancing is not that bad!"

Luka and Meiko replied the same way they always did with her. "Sure, whatever makes you feel better."

"Oi! I'll diva smack both of you!"

* * *

Kaito was gripping his head in pain. "Ahhhh. Sensitive about your height, aren't you?"

_"Watch the short jokes."_

"Noted. They're clearly not worth it."

_"You want to hang out later today? If you're not doing anything."_

"Sorry, I got work today. How about tomorrow?"

_"Sounds good. I didn't know you had a job."_

"Yeah, I work at Ginzo's gears at the edge of town."

"Isn't that the place where you can bring anything that's broken or not working and they fix it?"

"Yep! It's not an official job though. I just get paid at the end of each day for the work I did. I can basically come and go as I please, but if I'm not going to show up, I need to tell my boss ahead of time."

_"You really have an interesting life, don't you?"_

"Eh, not really. We should had back to class, I need a good nap. I can free myself tomorrow, if you want." _"Like I said, sounds good!"_

* * *

Kaito (School uniform * Parka) stood outside an enormous garage that looked run down and dirty on the outside. All the garage doors were closed so you couldn't see the inside. He walked in through the side door and saw a man writing on a desk with a rusty music box at the right corner of it. Though the outside looked bad, the inside was shiny, spotless and looked professional.

"Good you're here, grab this music box and fix it. The client gave a lot of money for the repairs so be extra careful with it and don't screw up."

"When do I ever? How much?"

"Eighty-thousand yen, so DON'T screw up, it's on us if you do."

"What!? Just for this music box?! Why?!"

The man sighed. "The client has taken it to dozens of other places and they all refused because of how fragile and easy it is to break, on top of it being rusty and the mechanics for it are strange, and unsearchable online and in local books. He's tired of looking around and desperate to hear it's sound again."

"Sweeeeet! How much will I get for this job?"

"Four thousand."

"Rip off!"

"Hey, when you turn eighteen, I'll give you fifteen percent per job, but until then deal with it. Now hurry up with that one, you have three other jobs lined up today and maybe more if someone walks through the door. Now, get to your work bench."

Kaito groaned, walking past him but turning around before going on. "By the way, write Benkai a letter from Ginzo."

"I should have never tried faking it, you didn't even fall for the first one. Now I'm stuck sending them to your friend."

"Hey, it's your fault for caring. I'm not telling him that he died, I didn't even know that's why he left."

"He left on 'the retirement road trip' two years ago, he's old, he knew the end was near. He didn't want to get you two going back to being depressed again. And I get screwed over, having to lie for the rest of my life just so only one of you can believe he's still around japan, banging any female he can get a one night stand with."

"Again, your fault."

The man groaned. "Fine! I'll have it ready at the end of the day, get to work already."

Kaito went to his work bench and began disassembling the music box. 'That much for a music box? Mmmm, I'd like to hear it's sound first.' He then received a text in his pocket. It was from his sister.

_'Oniiiii-chan! How's work? It's official, for the next two weeks, me and IA are going to be at Luka and Miku's club everyday afterschool for the next three weeks! On the last day, we're going to get a chance to join the club if we can pass their test! I'll show you what I learned before the test, okay?'_

Kaito smiled at that. 'Sounds like she'll be doing fine without me around. I can't wait to see what she learns three weeks from now.'

* * *

**Ah, that's a long chapter. But now chapter 6 will set up nicely, and it'll be about Luka and Kaito progress! As always please review! Xen out!**


	6. A trip to Akihabara

_"Kaito, focus! You agreed to learn, now pay attention." _

_"I just wanted to shut you up, you cry over every little thing. 'Oh, if you don't learn things, you'll end up getting in trouble and getting hurt more than you already do, waaah, cry, nag- ' AAHH! Hey, hit me with his book!" _

_"Kaito, put the violin down! You can't hit him with it, you'll end up breaking it! Do you know how unbelievably rare it is to find a violin that works and in such good condition in here!? This is the junkyard for pete's sake!" _

_"Give my violin to pete then. Ow! I'll burn that stupid textbook!" "Stop being a baby and listen to her then! I'm not having a blast listening to her either, but just put up with it and learn to play the stupid thing. If you don't mind I'm busy trying to finish this lame chapter." _

_"You hear that?! He finally admitted it, he thinks you acting like a teacher sucks too!"_

_"H-h-how could you t-think that... I try so *sob* hard!"_

_"Wait, no! I didn't mean that! Kaito was just too annoying and I-"_

_"Mmm! *sniff* *sob* *sniff* *hiccup* Lair."_

_"Hahahahahaha!"_

_"No, I swear- Errrrr, Kaitoooo!"_

* * *

_"... You're... dead. Why... why you... why are you... I... I don't want to see this... I didn't see **this!**"_

* * *

Kaito woke up feeling irritated. Looking at his clock, it was one twenty-four in the afternoon. He was glad his sister let him sleep in today; it was Sunday and Kaito wanted to waste the day however he felt fit, even if it meant sleeping through more then half of it. He couldn't fully enjoy it though. For the past couple of weeks, he had actually enjoyed going to school. He enjoyed seeing his new friend everyday and even the company of those three girls from his class. Kaito enjoyed their daily antics, Meiko and Miku always doing something to cause chaos in the class, making the teacher aggrivated, and Luka apoligizing on their behalf, only for them to repeat the process two periods later. He did terrible on tests, always failing to make a passing grade by just a few points, and he didn't understand any of the material being taught.

That wasn't the problem though. It was the dreams that had been occuring a few days after he started his second week of school. They were the same every time. A nice random memory from his time with his old trio, and the moment he found out the something that scarred him. What bugged him the most was the last one. He was sure he had gotten over it. 'How much longer is this going to stick? Finally, I stopped with all my mid-day flashbacks, and now I get these memory dreams that won't go away. I wonder why those stopped though? I mean, it might mean I'm finally starting to move on, but I don't know what's making this happen now, or why I get these dreams in their place. The only reasons I pretend relive the past with Benkai is so he doesn't completely shut down. Well, at least it's only sometimes in my sleep.' Kaito got up and walked out his room.

In the living room he saw IA and Kaiko wrestling each other. He went over, grabbed them both by the collar, and seperated them. "What's the cause this time?"

IA's face reddened as she looked toward the floor. "N-nothing..."

"Lair! I was making fun that her chest is smaller then mine, so she started attacking me!"

"And why were you making fun of it in the first place?"

"Because she kept winning at yuigioh, so I was trying to mess with her mind. You know, distract her!"

Kaito looked at his sister with a bored facial expression. "You know you've been guilty since the first sentence, right?"

"Ha!"

"Whatever! ... Barely a B-cup."

IA struggled to grab her best friend and strangle her, but Kaito kept the distance between them. "No more chest talk! Shouldn't you two be practicing for that thing you have tomorrow? That try out thing."

"Oh yeah! Oni-chan, watch our dance moves and our singing! Please?" Kaiko pleaded.

Kaito turned his head to IA. "Depends, would you make me breakfeast now? I'm not in the mood for cereal."

"It's... a bit late for breakfeast, if I make anything, it'll be lunch."

"I'll take it. I just want some food in my stomach. ...But I can have some ice cream with it, right?" He asked.

* * *

IA and Kaiko panted in their poses as they just completed the dance and song. They eagerly awaited Kaito response. Kaito held back his emotions for a bit, trying to stress them out about what he thought of it, but he couldn't hold back any longer. A smile broke out from his face as he got up and hugged his sister, twirling her around. "Kaiko, that was great! You've really learned something practical! I'm so proud of you!"

Kaiko cheered with her brother. "Thanks, oni-chan! I've been trying extra omega hard! Love you, oni-chan!"

IA stood there, sad and feeling ignored. Kaito smiled and rolled his eyes as he grabbed IA, pulling her into his hug with his sister. "What's with a sad face like that? I'm proud of you too. Wait your turn, I like praising one at a time." He said while ruffling her hair. IA blushed, leaning in on the blue haired sibling's hug.

To outside eyes, this would seem obvious how IA felt about Kaito. They would be wrong however, and Kaito knew why. It was true, IA blushed and fidgetted when she was around Kaito in certain situations, but it wasn't because of a romantic interest. It was because she thought of him as the big brother she didn't have and she was his little sister, and she felt embarresed that she saw him that way. So how did Kaito know this? The first time IA had a sleepover with his sister, he was listening in on them from outside through the door, curious about what girls talked about during those events. She told Kaiko that she would love to have a big brother like she had. Kaiko suggested asking Kaito, but she started spazzing out in embarresment, saying she couldn't ask something like so embaressing like that. After a bit of back and forth, IA agreeded when she felt comfortable enough, she would ask.

The only question remaining now is why would Kaito not say a word about it, making her question if he even considered her a friend at all. In all honesty, he already regarded her as his little sister for a long time and a friend even longer. Hence, her nickname in his phone. Kaito wanted her to have the courage to ask herself, and he would welcome his cute pink haired little sister with open arms. Until then, he would play the role of an ignorant boy like most people thought him be, though they weren't entirely wrong to assume that. Kaito had to admit he has been stupid on several occasions.

"You guys will be great tomorrow! Well, there's something I need to go buy for tomorrow, so I be leaving in a few minutes." He said as he released them from his embrace.

"Where you going, oni-chan?" His sister asked with sad eyes.

"Just going out to get something for class tomorrow."

"Oh, is it for the upcoming raffel? You don't need anything for that except a partner." IA said.

"Raffle? What raffle? There's a raffle? For what?"

"The school holds it every year, Kaito. After school, you and the person you enter with put a slip in a box with your names on it in front of everyone else participating. Then the principle pulls it from the hat and announces the winner."

"What's the prize though?" "It's a trip to Akihabara and a forty-thousand yen gift card only usable there on the day of the trip." IA answered.

'What! Maybe school isn't total bull like I thought it was.' "Sounds sweet! All three of us-"

"Kaito, it's only two people and... well..."

"... You two teamed up, didn't you?" Both girls nodded. "Aw man. Guess I'll go with Neru then, she should be free."

* * *

The next day, Kaito dropped off his two usual passangers off at school much earlier then usual. He skated toward his blonde friend's house he was at a few days ago and started knocking on the door like it was a drum set. The door soon opened, revealing a very sick looking Neru, wearing gray sweatpants and a yellow hoodie. Her nose was tinted red, her face was pale, and a bit of snot leaked out from her nose. "Hey, I was getting a real good beat going."

Neru gave a weak glare. She seemed more in pain then anything else. "Your beat is hurting my head more, I have a headache too."

"So you are feeling better! Now let's go!"

"Sorry, I just can't do it." She coughed out.

Kaito sighed. "Why'd you have to still be sick? I just found out about this raffle yesterday."

Neru gave him a apologetic look. "I really wanted to try and win with you too. Sorry, you'll have to find another partner."

"Whoa, wait up. Just because you to gonna be there today doesn't mean I need another partner."

Neru coughed a bit before speaking again, her voice getting weaker and losing more volume. "You actually do. Both people must be present during it to get their *cough* tickets."

"You got to be kidding me! I got it! Let me borrow your brother or sister. Are they still here?"

"Don't *cough* bother, those two team up on everything."

Kaito gripped his head in frustration. "Well, I have no options left. Maybe I can beg someone at school. I'll come by after work to check up on you, later!" Kaito waved as he skated off to school.

Neru waved, watching Kaito go off. She noticed his bag looked like a lot was crammed in there, which was weird considering Kaito never carried anything in there besides his shoes when he skated. 'I'll ask him later.'

* * *

In class, Meiko and Luka were chatting a few minutes before the start of class. "Why do I have to be the third wheel this week?" Luka whined.

"It's just you're turn. I'm so glad it's not me, I'd hate to be partnerless this week!" Meiko gloated.

"I can't even ask Gakupo to enter with me, student council members and the branches apart of them aren't allowed."

"That's rough. Where's Miku? Class is about to start, she better not be absent. I haven't seen Kaito either. Hey, you could team up with him!"

"He's probably with Neru. I could really use that gift card to buy some things I need. Oh, how I would love some new books and maybe even some new clothes."

Meiko chuckled. "Ew, reading books for fun! You're definetely the nerd of the group. I heard our teacher had to do something today, so we're getting a sub."

"Really? You better behave, I don't want you and Miku scarring the poor guy."

"Not making any promises!"

* * *

The bell rung, signaling the start of class, but the subsitiute was nowhere to be found. Students murmered to one other, wondering what they were suppose to do. Then, Kaito (Genius) entered the classroom, wearing a outfit they'd never seen. He went to the teacher's podium, grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote 'Mr. Shion' on the blackboard. "Hello class. My name is Mr. Shion and I'll be you're sub for today."

Luka's face paled. 'What on earth happened to the substitute?!' "Kaito, what did you to the teacher?"

"My name is Mr. Shion, I have no Idea who this Kaito is, and I just said I'm the replacement for today. You're one of the slower kids in the class, aren't you?" The class sinckered at their new 'sensei's' remark.

"Enough, Kaito. You're going to get in trouble when the teacher walks through the door." Luka warned.

"Again, my name is Mr. Shion." He said coolly.

"Then what's your first name?" She asked in a smart tone. "... Mr."

The class laughed as Luka faceplanted in her seat. 'So stupid!'

"Moving on, I'd like to introduce my assistant for the day. Miss Hatsune, please come in." Kaito announced, gesturing toward the door.

Miku (Lab girl) came in on queue. "Hey-o! I'm Miss Hatsune, nice to meet all of you! Let's start off with attendence before we start class, K?"

"Yes, Miss Hatsune!'' The class shouted happily. They were eating up their act, and odds were, they wouldn't be doing any work while they played around, so they went with it.

Luka was shocked that Miku had got caught up in Kaito's shenanigan, but then remembered that she would do this of her own violation just for kicks. "Miku! Get in you're seat before the real teacher gets here. Stop trying to get in trouble!"

"I am not this 'Miku' person you think I am. I am the teacher and you will treat me with the proper respect. Call me Miss Hatsune."

"Miku, stop it and get in you're seat. No more, just sit down." Luka said, annoyance evident in her voice.

Miku leaned in toward Kaito. "A rowdy student, isn't she? We may have to disipline her."

Kaito nodded as he picked up a white sheet from the podium. "Hmm, you may be right. It says right here on the class roster her name is Megurine Luka. The description says she's the responsible type that likes to nag. She usually keeps two girls in line at school by nagging so they don't get in trouble. It seems one of them is missing today, so she must be taking out all the leftover nags at us. She should really be ashamed of herself. Her regular teacher is out and here she is making all this commotion, disrupting class, and yelling at his fill-in's. She should be like the other students on this sheet with stars next to their name. Look at this one, 'Kaito Shion'. Says here that he a great student, he loves ice cream, always does his work, behaves, loves ice cream, funny, helpful, and eats lots of ice cream everyday. The perfect role model student."

Miku put her finger on somewhere on the sheet Kaito was holding. "Or like this other student, Hatsune Miku. Super cute, leek lover, muti-talented, smoking body, smart, and an amazing singer! I wish she was here instead of this terrible girl who won't stop treating us so badly!"

"You hypocrites are doing exactly what you're critizing me for, and I'm not doing anything! There's not even anything written on that paper, it's blank! And you're not even trying to hide that fact either, we can see both sides the way you're holding it!" Luka would have continued ranting, but Kaito's loud voice stopped her.

"I've had it with your outbursts miss Megurine! Now me and miss Hatsune will have to punish you. You've brought this on yourself." Kaito said as he reached behind the podium for something.

Miku followed Kaito's lead, shuffling where his hands were as well. "What a shame. Oh well! We brought these to school for a reason!" Miku said.

"Oh, I'm so scared! What dumb thing are you going to do now? Pretend to be Gakupo? Did you hid a wooden sword in there?" Luka said sarcastically. Miku and Kaito's faces were netural as they brought out their items. Kaito had rope in his hands while Miku had a long white cloth in hers. Luka's eyes widened in fear. 'What? They weren't just faking? They actually brought something!?' "U-uh, w-what is that?" Luka asked, quivering in her seat. Miku and Kaito stayed silent, their faces still emotionless. "G-guys? W-what are you p-planning to do with t-that? Y-you're starting to take this too f-far!" Miku and Kaito didn't respond, holding their heads low before flashing their faces, a dark smile plastered across them.

* * *

Luka's ankles and wrists were tied up with rope, and a white cloth wrapped around her mouth to muffle her voice. She was put away in the corner of the classroom; she squirmed around for the first few minutes, but gave up when she realized it was futile. The pink haired capitive simply hoped that they'd untie her when they finished having their fun. 'I don't care anymore, I give up. I'm not even mad anymore, I should of expected this. But great first Miku, and now I have to worry about this blue haired jerk. One was bad enough.'

Kaito adjusted his glasses before speaking. "Ok, next student who speaks without permission gets the same treatment as her."

"And no exceptions!" Miku added.

Meiko snickered while raising her hand. "Can I be a pretend teacher too? It looks like fun!" Kaito and Miku looked at each other.

* * *

Meiko joined her tied up friend in the corner. Kaito picked up the sheet of paper again, pretending to read it. "Since I only said the next student, everyone else can talk when they want, just don't talk too loud. Miku, do you want to do rollcall while I write out the lessons on the board?" He asked.

"Sure! Hand it over professer!" Miku and Kaito switched positions and did their tasks. "Ok, you! Name."

"Ten Kenji!"

"Awesome, next! You."

"Senjou kurosaki!"

"Cool! You."

"*Sincker* Tama Tama!"

"Really? Everyone, that guy's name is Balls now. For the rest of the day call him Balls! Who wants to be his pair?"

A girl who was laughing shot up her hands. "I'll do it!"

Miku shook her head, barely supressing her laughter. "Ah ah ah! No go! You're a girl, don't go messing with science! I know which organs belong where!"

Luka's eyes looked stotically at Miku. 'Really? What is this class coming to? I better check up on Meiko, I hope she's okay being tied up like this.'

Luka turned to face her friend. The brunette had her eye's closed, a blush clear across her face. She muttered something through the cloth wrapped around her mouth, just barely audible to Luka only. "Punish me more."

Luka looked at her in shock. 'You're enjoying this?! Don't enjoy this! You're into this kind of stuff?! What freaky things did you do with your old boyfriend?! Thank god only I heard her. When are they going to get tired of this?'

Then a certain purple haired samurai entered the classroom. "Sorry I'm late, I was at a emergency meeting. I have a note fro-" Gakupo's sentence cut short at the sight of Miku and Kaito in their outfits and what they seemed to be doing. 'Are they acting like the teacher? Where's the rea-' Now his thought was cut short a second time when he saw Meiko and Luka tied up in the corner. "What the-, Luka!? Are you-"

* * *

Now Gakupo was restrained in rope in the back of the classroom with the other victims of the terrible teacher duo. Gakupo struggled to get out, but stopped when he met Luka's gaze. He could sense that she wanted him to surrender and quietly wait until Miku and Kaito finished with their antic. Luka simply wanted to go back to being free and not roped up in a corner.

Two hours passed. Kaito had a drawn two scoops of ice cream on the board while Miku drew a leek next to it. Kaito pointed to the printed out picture of a human organ system with his ruler. "Now that we're on the subject of science, here you see the stomach of a human. If a person doesn't eat enough ice cream a day, they feel like their life sucks, so it's very important."

Miku chimed in now with her commentary, using a leek as a pointer. "But, not as important as leeks. As you can see, by this squiggly thing here, not eating leeks means you die."

"But! Ice cream freezes the dying reaction, making it better than leeks." Kaito countered.

"Ah, no! People need leeks, in fact, boys need it more."

"How so?" Kaito asked, hoping that she'll slip up and lose the argument.

"Well... thats how you tell if you're a boy or a girl. You know... you have leeks down there." Kaito and Miku fought back the laughter trying to escape their mouths. They were despreatly trying to stay in character and the roaring laughs from the class wasn't helping.

Kaito and Miku turned away from the class and huddled up. "Miku, why'd you say that? I don't think I can keep this up without laughing, you screwed us with that joke, it was too much! We have to roll with it now!" Kaito whispered, not that it mattered, the entire class could clearly hear him.

"My bad, I wasn't thinking! I've been winging it this whole time, I'm just talking out of my butt. What do we do? I don't want to break our act now, I wanted to last till lunch." Miku whispered just as loud.

"Just hold it in, we don't have a choice now, we have to keep faking. Ready? Break!" Kaito resumed his 'debate' with Miku. "If guy's have leeks, then girls must have two scoops of ice cream. The amount of these two scoops are all different, of c-course!"

"We do?" Kaito motioned to his chest. Miku bit her lower lip hard, stifiling her snickers. "Oh, yes of course! T-that's why men love ice cream so much! They're always going on about getting some ice cream scoops, it makes them so happy! Girls have two ice cream scoops on them all the time and boys always try to get some!" She strained out.

A student from the class raised his hand while using his other to cover his face while cracking up. "S-sensei's! So w-wa-hahaha- what do we use our leeks for when girls give us their ice cream scoops!"

Kaito attempted to answer. "E-easy! It's..." Kaito paused for a while before huddling back up with Miku. "Switch with me! Answer his *snicker* question!"

"What! No way, I don't know what to say! I can't continue it, I'd just be saying the real thing at this point*giggle*! I'm just a lab girl assistant!"

"That's perfect! As a lab girl, you experiment with this stuff all the time *snicker*, you've got it covered!"

"Don't pin it on me, you're the professor! *giggle* I bet you've done a buch of research on this! You should know all about it!"

"I have no field experiance! I'm all theory! What's worse is what we're saying right now is funnier then the one we're trying to avoid now! I think some of them can hear us too!" He said, taking a quick glace at the class before looking back at Miku.

"Kaito, don't be silly! We're soundproof when we huddle up like this."

"This is your fault! Sex jokes are too much, you can't expect me not to laugh!"

"That's terrible! Thank god the janitor found you in there! More then two hours tied up and locked in there! Which students did that to you?!" Exclaimed a voice from down the hall. Miku and Kaito eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, panic taking them over.

"I have no idea. One second, I'm walking down the hall, the next thing I know, there's a sack over me and I'm being tied up." "Well I assure you we will find who's reponsible! As principal, I will not condone this kind of action!"

The two obvious culprites rushed to change out of their clothes. Both ripped off there lower body clothes, showing that they had their usual clothes underneath. They ran to their desks and ripped off their upper halfs. Kaito, however had his jacket in his bag, which he took out and put on. Then they shoved the old torn off clothes inside their bags. They both gave each other a thumbs up. They had pulled off the prank they planned and they were in the clear.

Or so they thought. When they had heard muffeling behind them. They forgot about the three victims they had binded. Quickly, they ran back and started untying them. Miku worked on Meiko first. "No hard feelings right? It was pretty funny wasn't it?" She asked as she removed the rag around her mouth.

"Yeah, I enjoyed it! Next time, let me in on it, k?" Meiko said.

"You got it!" Miku finished the bindings on Meiko and moved on to Gakupo. "Mind not saying anything? Just this once?"

"You're joking. You think I'll-" Gakupo was stopped by none other than Luka, who was being untied by Kaito unsuccessfully.

"Gakupo, just do it. Miku overdid it this time and she won't get off easy with the principal if he find's out. She might get expelled. You owed me a favor from last week and I'm calling it in." Gakupo cringed at that and had no choice to comply. "Kaito, hurry up and untie me, what's taking so long?!"

"I'm trying! I did them really good on yours! Damn it!" Kaito tried undoing the knots but they were done too many times and were hard to undo. Gakupo had already been freed, Miku, Meiko and Gakupo went straight to their seats and watched Kaito race against time as they could hear footsteps getting closer and closer to the room. He only untied Luka's wrists and was still on her ankles. Luka tried to help and untie it herself, but it didn't help at all the bindings on her ankles were too well done. "Screw it!" Kaito picked up Luka bridal style and sprinted to his seat and sat down with her in his lap.

"What the hell! Kaito put-" Luka went mute upon hearing the door open.

"I'll be fine from here on, thanks for escorting me." The man said as he said his good byes and shut the door. He walked to the podium and spoke to the class. "Sorry I'm so tardy, as a subsituite I should be more punctual. There was an incident that happened and well, I got 'wrapped up' a bit, so to speak. I trust you behaved yourselfs in my absence?"

"Yes sensei." The class replied.

"Fantastic! Give me a moment to see what subject we should be doing now and we'll start right away. Before we start, you two. The pink and blue haired boy. I'd prefer if you'd stop your public display of affection. Sitting together like that is a bit inappropriate during class. I know young people like to be cuddle all the time, but leave that for a more private setting." He said in a soft, pleasant tone.

Luka's face reddened at his comment. "W-w-wha- no! i- it's because- it's- it's -" Luka wanted to explain that it wasn't like that at all, but she at a loss for words. What could she say that wouldn't raise a question.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad. I only ask you restrain yourselfs during class and wait afterschool to... be affectionate with each other. Now, please return to your seat."

Kaito stood up, still carrying Luka bridal style. "Got it teach!" Kaito carried Luka to her seat.

She glared at him all the way to her seat. When he put her down she whispered. "You owe me one BIG time. You and Miku."

Kaito rolled his eyes at her. "You wish."

* * *

Lunch just broke out, every heading to their eating spots. Miku, however, was on her hands and knees in the classroom, apologizing to Luka. "Sorry, please forgive me already! Just tell me what you want so we'll be even!"

"I'll think of something later, and when I do, it'll be at the worst possible time for you. You will pay, and with interest." Luka said lowly.

Miku gulped in response. "Please show me mercy!"

"That goes double for you, Kaito. You humiliated me."

Kaito stood next to Miku, texting on his phone nonchalantly. "Nah, I don't care enough."

"Fine then. I'm sure Kaiko would love to her about the little stunt you pulled today." Luka said nonchalantly.

Before the blink of an eye, Kaito was just like Miku, on the floor and begging. "I'm sorry too! I don't reget a thing, but I'm sorry! Don't tell Kaiko!" 'She can't ever find out! She'll cut off my ice cream supply!'

Luka gave him an annoyed look. "Nice apology. I really believe you. Miku, lets go. Meiko left ahead of us, and we don't want to be late to the clubroom today." Luka said as she walked away.

"Right! Their try outs! Later, Kaito! Let's do that again sometime soon!" Miku whispered that last part so Luka wouldn't hear.

Kaito stood off and brushed some dust off his coat. 'What am I going to do for lunch now? Neru's not here. I guess I should look for someone available for that drawing later today. There's gotta be at least one person free, right?'

* * *

It was the end of the day and Kaito was banging his head on a hall. He unable to locate a single person that wasn't already taken. He met his who sister beamed in happiness earlier, telling him that her, IA, and Rin had passed. Kaito congradulted her and she went off to the auditorium. 'This blows. Not one person! Now I'm going to miss out on probably the only fun thing the school does! Maybe I should give up on it. Not like I find someone now.'

"Gumi, please tell me you're availible!" Pleaded a voice around the corner.

"Sorry, Luka. You'll have to find some else. I gotta go now, good luck finding a someone!"

Kaito saw a green haired girl come out from the corner and past him. 'Was that Luka's voice? She's free!? Perfect! She sounds desperate so she'll totally- wait.' Kaito's mind froze for a minute. He remembered before that she said he owed her a favor for not telling on him to Kaiko. Kaito realized that, if he played his cards right, he could kill two birds with one stone. 'I need to trick her into using that favor. I'll act casual and go from there. I just have to avoid full on lying since I still suck at it.' Kaito thought as he rounded the corner, finding Luka sulking against the wall.

He tapped her shoulder, Luka looking up with a dejected face. "What?"

Kaito put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I don't know, you looked dead. I thought I should check to see if you still had a will to live."

"Aren't you nice. I'm just looking for a partner, alright? It's not going to well."

"Oh yeah, for the contest for the trip thing. I think the wall is taken by the school though." He taunted.

"Ha ha, you're so funny." She said unamused at his joke.

Kaito averted his gaze from her eyes. If his sentences contained any lie that wasn't used for a joke, his voice tended to crack when he made eye contact. "It's not that big a deal anyway. I was thinking about just passing on it since everyone's done picking who they're going with."

Luka perked up for a moment before contemplating in her mind. 'He's not taken!? Mmm... I don't want to go with him out of all people, but... ahh need to use that gift card! I won't get another shot at it until next year, and I'm almost completly broke. I have no choice.' "Hey... since you don't care all that much... why not go with me? You won't have to look for someone that way."

"Mmm... nah, I don't care about it anymore."

Taken aback by his response, Luka voice faltered a bit. "Wha- you're kidding? You don't want to go anymore? B-but the prize!"

"Yeah, IA filled me in on that. She also told me that the winners go tomorrow on a train leaving at six-thirty in the morning and the tickets they give you to there are only valid then. I'd hate to wake up that early." He said , occasion shifting his gaze around Luka, but never at her.

"No, no, no, it's not that big of a deal! It's a two hour train ride there, you could get your sleep time back then! Come on, lets go enter, it'll be effortless."

"I don't know, I'd have tell out my boss I won't be showing up tomorrow. This whole thing seems tiring, I'm just not feeling it."

"Come on, please!" Luka begged.

Kaito grinned inwardly. 'Bait time.' "Hey, it's not like I owe it to you to go, so stop begging so much."

It was then Luka smiled like she had him cornered. "Oh yes you do! Do this for me and we're even from your little stunt this morning. Or would you rather me tell-"

"Ok, ok! I get it, but with this we're even, and my sister never finds out. Deal?" Kaito extended his hand out, still looking anywhere but her direction.

"Deal." Luka said while shaking his hand. "Now let's head to the auditorium before they close sign ups!"

Kaito could have left it at that, but he'd rather gloat his successful tricks then keep quiet about it. "Sure. You know, today's a good day. I finally got a partner I been looking for all day, and I tricked her into getting rid of a favor I owe her. Ha ha ha!"

"You what!? You- that doesn't count then!"

"Yes it does! You shook on it, it's too late! Sorry Luka, looks like 'sensei' here is just too smart for you." Kaito laughed as he strutted past Luka, only to trip and fall over himself.

Luka stared at him incredulously. 'I made a huge mistake asking him, haven't I?'

* * *

The entire student body shook in their seats in antcipation. The principle had his hand in that box for over five minutes. He knew how badly each student wanted to win, so he drew it out as long as possible to torture them. Luka sat next to Kaito, clenching her hands together. 'Please, please, please pick us!'

"You look desperate."

"Most people would be! I need this!"

"How so?" Kaito asked.

Before she could respond the principal ended his fun and pulled out a piece of paper. "Megurine Luka and Shion Kaito! Congradulations, come up and recieve you're prize!" The entire stdent body groaned at their loss.

"Yes, yes, yes! We actually won!" Luka screamed as she hugged Kaito, not caring anymore about his previous actions today. Kaito gave a small 'woo', showing he was happy, but he was too lazy to celebrate like a normal person.

* * *

"Wow, so many people looked pissed at us!" Kaito told Luka as he exited the school.

"What did you expect, everyone wanted to go." Luka answered plainly.

"I know, but they look SO pissed off. Glad we're suppose to go there tomorrow. Woo, skipping school and it's ok!" Kaito cheered as he skated around Luka.

"I get it, you hate school. So do most kids. I'm heading back to my club now, so I guess I'll see you at the train station tomorrow?"

"You bet! Later!"

* * *

It was six twenty-five in the morning. Luka awaited Kaito at the train station. "Where is he? Damn it, he has both tickets, he better show up soon!" 'I know the principal didn't want a repeat of when one student took both the tickets and gift card, and went without the other, so he split the tickets and gift card between us, but waiting here for him is driving me nuts. If he's late we won't be able to go!' Unbeknownst to Luka, Kaito was standing behind her, waiting for her to turn around so he could startle her. 'I'm tired of standing, I should go sit down.' She turned around and jumped back when she saw Kaito. "Gah!"

"Ha! Yo, what's up?" He greeted casually.

"How long have you been there?!"

"Like ten minutes. You take forever to check behind you, you know."

"You made me think you were going to be late!" Luka said angrily.

"My bad. That scream was worth it though!"

* * *

They had finally arrived at Akihabara station. Stepping off the train, Luka looked around for something that could help give them directions to specific shopping centers, but found nothing in sight. "I don't see any kind of signs here, but I'm sure it's north of here. Do you want to lead the way or?"

Kaito shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "No. I have a terrible sense of direction, so we'd end up on the other side of Japan."

"At least you're honest about your faults. I'll lead then. So, how are we deciding where we're going first?"

Kaito perked up as he answered. "Maid cafe! Maid cafe! I heard those places are so fricken cool!"

"That's a waste of our gift card. I want to go to the Don Quijote store first, it's a good place for clothes. Also, I want to look for a book store here." Luka said.

Kaito stuck his tongue out at her. "Is not! It's never a waste if you have fun. Why don't we take turns?"

Luka thought about it before nodding. "I suppose that's fair. How do we decide who gets to pick first?"

"Easy, me. My idea is way more funnier then shopping. Maid cafe!" He shouted loudly.

"Well, most of those don't open till noon." Luka added.

Kaito's face saddened. "Aww... fine, you win. The second it's twelve, we go, no objections." He grumbled.

Happy that she gets to decide first. "Great! I've changed my mind too, I'd like to see some book stores first, if you don't mind."

* * *

Inside a maid cafe, Kaito and Luka awaited their orders. A bag full of books at Kaito's side. "I can't wait for my sundae, I hear they do cute drawings on it! Why would you only get a melon soda? We're at a maid cafe, go all out! And put the book down, this isn't a library."

Luka looked up from her book. "I don't want to waste too much of our gift card on some silly food. Is this place even that great?"

"Of course it is! Did you see how they greeted us?! I'm 'Master' here, it's feels so cool! Are you telling me you didn't think it was awesome that they called you 'mistress'?" He asked cockily.

"Not in the slightest." She said indifferently as she turned a page.

Kaito leaned back on his chair and put his hands behind his head. "Whaaaat? You're no fun then. This is the only reason I really wanted to go, it seemed like such a good time. You make no sense."

"I find you to be the one that makes no sense. You seem illogical by nature."

"Me? Why do you say that?" He asked curiously.

"The way you act, it just appears random. When you first came to school, you were completely quiet and aloof, but you'd act differently only around Kaiko and IA. You got in a fight with three armed students, and beat them unarmed without so much of a scratch or exerting much effort. Then around the second week, you lighten up a bit and somehow made friends with the most exclusive person in school. During this time Meiko turns you into her playful punching bag and you just act like her door mat, taking it and acting weak. You turn into Miku's parnter in crime, getting into more trouble each day. Putting everything into account, it pretty much abolishes the first notion I had of you. Add that in with yesterday; it's too confusing to figure you out."

Kaito leaned in on the table, resting his head on his arms. "Have you ever noticed you use a lot of big words when you read?"

Luka turned another page before responding. "Books seem to have that effect on me while I'm reading, but see what I mean? I said all that and the response you think of is 'You use big words while reading'."

"So cold. Why do you still hate me?" Kaito teased.

"I didn't mean to come across like that, sorry. I'm not mad at you like when we first met." Luka told him apologetically.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just joking, I know where we stand."

Luka looked at him curiously, wondering if for once they were on the same page. "And where do we stand exactly? It's not that I'm not clear, but I can't trust what goes on in that mind of yours to match up."

Kaito let out a sigh. "Ahh, netural basically. We don't like or dislike each other, but we don't see each other as someone we enjoy having around. We're acquaintances, only together when something gets our interest or circumstances like this one. Nothing more, nothing less. ... Sundae! I can't wait for my special sundae, I want extra whipped cream! I should ask for a parfait too!"

"Wow, I really didn't expect you to get it right. Also, you did it again." Luka said.

"Did what?"

"That change, the way you talk. You change from serious to silly in a split second."

"Really? Hm, never noticed. I'm just being me, doing what I feel." The conservation came to an end as the maids cosplayers came with their orders. The red haired maid placed Kaito's sundae in front of him, knelt down and started decorating it with whip cream and various syrups. Kaito clapped like a child upon completion. She had drawn his face in strawberry syrup and drew a heart around it in whip cream. Below it in chocolate syrup said 'For my cute master, please enjoy!', which he certainly did as he dug in with immeasurable large smile on his face. "Thanks, it tastes extra good! You're the best servant a master could ask for! I forgot to ask your name before."

The red head blushed as she answered. "Miki, master."

"I'm Kaito, or since I'm in here, master Kaito." He exclaimed happily.

"I'm glad to serve you master Kaito!" Miki said cutely.

Meanwhile, the other silver haired maid tried conversing with Luka. "Here is your melon soda, mistress. Is it to your liking?" The maid asked, acting egear for her reply.

Luka took a sip and nodded. "It's good, thank you."

"Is there anything you want to talk about, mistress? That book you're reading seems really interesting, I'm a bit of a fan of the author."

"That's very nice of you, but I'm fine. Thank you for the offer." Luka looked at Kaito, seeing him being playing a game of rock paper sicossers with Miki, and being spoon fed when he won.

"Would you like anything else, mistress?" Her maid offered kindly.

"Yeah, actually. Could you tell me what they're doing? I have limited knowledge of maid cafes." Luka asked.

Her maid nodded. "Of course, mistress! Those are some services we offer here at the maid cafe. For a small additional charge, we are willing to pay games, dance and fed our masters and mistresses. Even a photo, if you pay of course. Would you like to play Jenga with me, mistress?"

Luka stayed silent for a bit, focusing on Kaito. Her attention soon shifted over to his maid, observing her behavior more. The blush on her face, the smile, her laugh, all of it seemed so real and sincere. 'Wow, they really act well. She really looks like a love sick girl, head over heels for her crush; or in this case, master.' "Sure, I'd love to play a game. It'll be good to take a break from reading."

"I'll go get it right away, mistress!"

* * *

Kaito and Luka finished their fun at the maid cafe, paid their bill and started leaving. "Didn't I tell you? Maid cafes rule!" Kaito exclaimed.

Luka talked back, but her eyes didn't leave the pages on her book. "I'll admit, Jenga was a nice break from reading."

"They act so nice to you! I like being treated nicely like that. Plus, they smile all the time. I love seeing smiling faces like that. That and the ice cream make it worth the trip."

"Were those the reasons you wanted to come here?" She asked inquisitively.

"Yeah, why else do people come here?" He asked innocently.

"Interesting." Was all Luka had to say. 'At least he's not a girl chaser like most guys. God forbid I meet more guys like Luki and Mikuo. Creeps. Kaito seems more like a kid trapped inside a teenager's body.' Luka looked up from her book to ask Kaito something. "Hey, did you notice anything... off about my maid?"

Kaito thought back, but ended up shrugging. "Not really. Was there something wrong with her?"

Luka shook her head and refocused herself on her book. "It was probably nothing. Her voice sounded weird, but she was excellent at her job. Maybe I was just feeling weird about being in a place like this for the first time and I imaganied it."

"Please come again soon! We eagerily await your return, master and mistress!" The two maids bowed as their customers left. The silver haired waited until the door closed before speaking.

"Miki, what were you doing back there? You didn't charge him for the extra service you gave him! Did you forget that?"

Miki fidgeted while answering. "Well... he didn't excatly ask for them, I kinda... just like playing with him I guess. He... was cute."

The maid took a step back in shock. "Wha- don't tell me... you actually started crushing on him! He's a random customer, come on!"

Miki's face reddened. "Oh, it was a one time thing so it's ok! My dad owns the place so just shut up Piko or else I'll tell people you cross dress here!"

"That's for the job you begged me to take! I don't do this because I like it!"

"That's not what others will think!" Miki shot back.

Piko grumbled and grabbed some paper. "Screw this, I'm going to hand out flyers." "Don't forget to smile Pin - ko-kun~!"

* * *

Kaito waited outside a dressing room while Luka tried on clothes. "How much do we have left on our gift card?" He asked.

"A little more then twenty-thousand." Luka said from behind the door.

"Good, I forgot to tell you that I got a list from my sister and IA, and they want me to get them something while we're here. It's just one or two things they want each. Meiko and Miku gave me one too, so could we spend some of it-"

"Hold on! Miku and Meiko gave me the same thing too!" Luka said angrily.

Kaito didn't seem fazed by this revelation. "Huh. That's smart, give us both lists and get twice the stuff. Since we don't really want to talk to each other, we probably would have never found out till we got to school tommorrow and gave it to them. We should just get them a crappy postcard to screw with them. Let's change what they wrote to 'postcard' so we can say we got them excatly what was written on the list." Kaito proposed.

"Sounds good to me! It's what they get!" Luka shouted from the other side of the door.

"So can we get what my sister and IA wanted?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's no problem. I was planning on getting something for Kaiko anyway. Alright, I'm done picking out clothes. We can pay and get out now." Luka exited the dressing room, carrying only one outfit.

"That's all you're getting? I thought you would of gotten more since you been going on about getting new clothes all day." Kaito said a bit perplexed.

"This is the only one I like. Besides, it'll be hard to hid this stuff at home if I bring home too many things." She told him simply.

"Why would you need to hid it?"

Luka hung her head low and walked on, answering him in a very monotonous voice. "Nothing, I didn't say anything. You're hearing things."

Kaito grabbed her by the shoulder and faced her toward him and his eyes. Meeting his gaze, Luka cursed herself for her slip up. Only Miku and Meiko knew why and she wanted to keep it that way; she hoped that Kaito wouldn't persist to much, it was a topic she hated talking about. "Luka... can we get some ice cream before we get their stuff, I'm starving for it! Also, I'm going have to carry those aren't I?" Kaito said as he raised her bag full of books he'd been carrying all day.

Relief washed over her when Kaito said that. She wasn't sure if he could see that she didn't want to talk about it or if this was Kaito being Kaito. Nevertheless, she was glad to he didn't dwell on what she said. "I didn't ask you to carry those in the first place! Stop whining, I can carry this myself." "Suuurre! All the books you got here weighed together about fifteen pounds and you couldn't get it off the bag off the ground at the store! You have to be the weakest person I've ever met!" Kaito ridiculed.

"Watch it! I don't work out, okay! Don't judge me!"

* * *

It was eight-thirty at night. The Tokoyo district of Akihabara lit up the night. The signs, buildings and the advertisments were radiant and dazzling, their lustrous lights showed that Akihabara truely came alive at night. "This place looks way better at night. Too bad we have to leave now." Kaito said as he admired the city.

Luka noticed Kaito seemed to enjoy night time more then the day. Ever since the sun set, he'd been much more talkitive and energetic. Maybe it was just all the glowing neon around that waas effecting him, but she felt her first assumption was correct. She couldn't blame him, the area was so captivating that even she couldn't focus on her book anymore. It felt almost disrespectful if you were here and not marveling at the sight of the districts decorations of lights. "I suppose it is. Hurry up, we don't want to miss our train back. Remember, our tickets are valid only for the nine o'clock ride back." She reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah. We can walk slow though? I want enough time to really remember this."

"Remember what exactly?" She asked.

Kaito glanced around, admiring the scenery before him. "This. Everything here, the day in general. It's another memory for me."

A faint smile graced Luka's face. "A good memory?"

"Doesn't matter. This kind of day is my always turns into my favorite memory."

"And why is that?"

Kaito smirked and shook his head. "I don't feel like saying. What about you? Did I annoy you all day or was I actually some fun?"

Luka turned her head away from him to prevent him from seeing her smile. "You were annoying like always... but I'm getting used to it, so it could be worse."

Kaito decided to give her a bittersweet response as well. "Heh, way to be a tsundere there. Well, I don't think you're half bad either."

"I'd ask why you I'm not half bad now, but I know you won't give me an answer." Kaito simply smiled at her.

* * *

They finally arrived back at their town's station, completely spent from their day and the long train ride only added to it. Kaito let out a long yawn, while Luka attempted to rid her fatigue by rubbing her eyes. Having no effect whatsoever she let out a groan. "Ugh, this is going to be a long walk home." Luka groaned.

"It's twice as long as me, I have to drop you off before I get to go home. You don't live too far away from here, do you?" He asked unenthusiastically.

Luka eyes widened at that. Quickly, she responded, accidently stammerring as attempted to stop Kaito from coming to her house. "N-n-no, no, no! I-I-It's f-fine, y-you d-don't h-have to w-w-walk me back, the path back is totally s-safe! D-don't worry about me!"

"I not, I just have a feeling you won't be able to carry your bag all the way home. Here, lift it off the ground and I'll go home." Kaito said as he placed her bag of purchased items in front of her.

Luka took in a deep breath, gripped the handle and pulled with all her might, but to no avail. It was a sad, pitiful display of physical strength. Kaito didn't laugh one bit, he wasn't sure how feel about this. She was unable to lift bag that any average human should have able to do without much of an effort. "I really-... this is-... what do say to this? Can you just give up and we can go? I don't want to watch this anymore, it hurts." Luka let go of her bag and gave a sad, small 'hmph'.

* * *

"Ok, you can go now." Luka told Kaito as they stood in front of her house.

"You sure you can carry these inside? Cause I can already see you making multiple trips, taking like two books at a time, inside." He teased.

"I'm fine! Go now! Wait, put my bag at the side of the house first, then leave! I'll get it later!" Luka whisper shouted as she tried pushing Kaito toward the side of her house. Her house looked like it wasn't in the best of shape. The lawn was torn up, some of the windows were cracked, but none were broken. Most of the paint on the house was chipped and peeled off, and a faint smell of alcohol circulated around it.

"Hey, stop pushing me! Calm down, what's the big deal?" Unfortunately, what Luka was trying to avoid Kaito seeing had opened the door. There appeared a tall, blonde haired man, holding a half-full bottle of alcohol in his hand, who was teetering back and forth.

"Luuukaaa! You dumb bitch, it's late as fuck! And the hell in that bag there!? You had money, didn't you!? I told you before, when you get money and give it to me! Be more like Lily, she isn't completely useless and retarted like you! You want me to rip some of your hair out!?"

Luka's pose straightened up, her eyes became lifeless, her voice robotic and monotone. "Sorry, father. I am at fault, I also should not be returning home this late."

"Damn straight you are! *hick* Go clean up the bottles on the floor and get that damn cat that keeps coming back here out of the house!"

Kaito glanced at Luka, exaiming her eyes before interjecting; Smiling and using a cheery tone. "Hey, dude. How many bottles have you drank?"

The man furrowed his eyes at Kaito. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Kaito, Luka's aquaintance! How many bottles have you drank?" He said as chipper as before.

"Well shut up! And it's none of you're damn business! You want me to beat you!?"

Luka stood there as stoic and expressionless as she had since her father had opened the door. It's not that she wasn't concerned for Kaito, on the conterary, she wanted to save him from her father's rising drunken rage, but after so many years of living with him, she couldn't do anything more than act like some sort of soulless puppet that sided with her father. It was a self-defense mechanism her subconcisous developed to keep her safe from her father's fits of rage, preventing her from acting any other way when he was present. Luka didn't want to end up like her sister Lily, who one day completely changed after her father dragged her off somewhere that one day, and completely changed after that.

"No, not really. How many bottles have you drank?" Kaito asked again, his tone the same as before.

"You really want to know?" He looked as if he was ready to explode.

"Yep!"

"Eleven AND A HALF!" Luka's father yelled as he swung his half empty bottle at Kaito's face, shattering on impact. Kaito didn't even flinch. He seemed completely unaffected, smiling the whole time. The only indication of damage to him appeared as a small bruise on his cheek.

"Oh that's awesome!" He said as he shot his right hand foward, griped hard on his assualter's throat, cutting off air flow to his lungs. The blonde man tried griping Kaito's arm, hoping to put enough pain to have him loosen his grip, but it lost the strength to, since his oxygen supply was currently on hold. His sight became blurrier by the second; Then it started becoming clearer. Kaito grip had loosened, then it tightened again. Kaito repeated this process a few times before speaking, his tone unthreating, though slightly errie. "You know, I once had a really old dude for a friend that got drunk every Saturday. He got in a lot of bar fights for one dumb reason or other, and after so many, he ended up learned a real interesting trick. Turns out, after a certain amount of drinks, if you hit someone in a certain spot in the head, there's like a ninety-nine percent chance they'll lose their memory of the whole day. Let's see if you'll lose yours." Kaito threw the blonde inside his house.

Luka's father made an effort to quickly stand up, falling down each time he attempted. His drunk state didn't help the fact that he still needed to recover more oxygen, he felt too dizzy to properly operate his body. Kaito walked over and stomped on his back, pressing down hard. His voice flipped from his postive tone to a dark, low one. His face grew a sadistic expression. "I don't know what you did, but consider yourself lucky I'm only knocking you out and giving you amnesia."

"*cough* You litt-"

"Shut up!" Kaito yelled as he punched the blonde in the back of head, causing him to pass out. Kaito looked over to Luka, who stood there with the same expression she had since her father had appeared. He walked to her and scanned her eyes, and left without another word. Only one thought occupied his mind. 'So she's lost something important too.'

Once Kaito was out of sight, Luka began cleaning up the mess her drunk father made. Once she finished, she placed an empty bottle in her father's hand, and started making trips back and forth to her room, taking two books at a time from her bag. Making her last trip, a cat awaited on her bed and meowed. The pinkette stashed her new literature under her bed, picked up the cat and sat on her bed. She petted it a few times before it hopped off and went through a small hole in the corner room. Luka stared for a bit before getting under the covers. Hugging her pillow, a few tears fell down her eyes. 'I hate this place. Why can't I be eighteen yet.'

* * *

The next day came; Luka walked in the classroom in search of a certain blue haired boy who, as always, was asleep at his desk. Miku and Meiko hadn't arrived yet, so she thought she should finish her business with Kaito quickly. She tapped him on the head and jumped back when he shot his head up so quickly. "I'm up, Neru! Oh, it's just you, did I scare you? Sorry, Neru always pokes or taps my head when she wants to talk when I'm sleeping. I was expecting a good smack coming for me soon."

"Kaito, we need to talk. About yesterday." Luka said, keeping her voice soft and almost inaudible so no one would here

Kaito folded his arms back on his desk, placing his head on it, his eyes barely open. He match her tone, though it was more due to his tired state. "Nah, not really."

"Kaito, I'm serious. I-"

"Then let me go first so we can save time from this, I'm real tired from yesterday, okay? I'm not an extrovert, so being outside all day with so many people around really drains me. First, off, does Miku and Meiko know?"

"Yes, and-"

"Question two. Does anyone else know?"

"No, and that's why-" Luka was cut off by Kaito once again.

"Good. We're done then. Night."

Luka flicked his head, waking him up only a little. "Don't end it like that! I don't want-"

"Me telling anyone, and you don't want me to ask about it either. I get it, it's none of my business or anyone else. I'm guessing Meiko and Miku knew because you three seem so close, I just wanted to know if they knew so I never have to lie to them if they didn't. Never been a fan of lying. I'm not telling anyone either, I don't see why anyone would need to know if you don't want them to." Kaito said simply.

Luka was shocked at how perceptive Kaito was being. She thought he'd be acting annoyingly concerned for her, but he already figured what she wanted him to comply with. "Wow, I... didn't think this would go so smoothly. So... we're not ever bringing it up again, right?"

Kaito buried his face in his arms. "Don't know what you're talking about. By the way, here." Kaito held out two postcards at Luka.

"Why are you giving me pos- Oh, right!" Luka took the cards from Kaito. As if on cue, Miku and Meiko burst through the door, rushing toward Kaito and Luka.

Meiko ran straight to Kaito, while Miku went to Luka. "Kaito! Buddy, whatcha bring us?" Meiko said excitedly.

"Exactly what you wrote down. See?" Kaito pulled two more postcards from his pocket with the list he received from them.

The part where he erased and replaced what they wrote on it was evident, so obviously evident that Meiko was already using Kaito's scarf to strangle him. "What the hell! You edited it! What you do that for, some stupid joke!?"

Kaito attempted to loosen his scarf around his neck, but Meiko kept jabbing him in the gut with her free hand, making him cover his stomach to cushion her blows. "Your- ah! Fault! Ease up! I need air! You gave both of- Ah! Lists! Help! Where's sensei when you need him!? Luka did it too, get her, gimme a break!"

Meiko stopped punching Kaito's abdomen, looking at him furiously. "Miku's dealing with her, and I know what we did was wrong and I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you; I'm angry that our plan didn't work! Let me hit you more until I feel better!" Meiko shouted.

Kaito look over to see what type of abuse Luka was receiving. All he saw was Miku lightly poking Luka in the head with a leek, saying 'Where's my souvenirs' over and over. Luka seem unaffected, considering she was reading her book and wasn't giving Miku any type of acknowledgement.

He stared for a few more seconds before screaming. "Switch! I want to switch attackers! I want Miku instead!"

"Denied!" Meiko yelled as she pushed Kaito off the desk and started stomping on him. Kaito didn't bother calling for help, the class didn't even flinch at all the commotion. He already knew this was just another daily occurrence for them. For the short time he had been going to school, this had already became routine. And Kaito didn't find it that bad it all.

Luka tried to focus on her novel, but she felt distracted by something that kept poking at her mind, and it wasn't Miku. It was the boy that was being stomped to death claimed her thoughts. He had learned something personal about her that she didn't want anyone to find out, and he already knew to stay silent and not pry info about it. He respected her wishes. Luka was starting to see Kaito in a better light. 'Since he learned something about me, I'd like to learn more about him, it's only fair. Plus... I'd like to know why he's such a nice... childish guy.'

* * *

**Ah, this took a long time to update, but something terrible happened. I forgot to save and lost nine-ish pages! I hated myself so much for that! I'll set a goal to get a new chapter out by next Friday to make up for such a long wait and my HUGE screw up.**

**Thanks to:**

**-Random Guest**

**For reviewing! Xen out!**


	7. Don't set off flags

**I'm bad at goals. On the bright side, this chap is like 15k of words, so woo. Also for Big Al fans, he makes a one time mention in the story, but unless you know about him and his altered look then you probably won't get a that part. It's cause of that pic of him I saw made me use him for that small part.**

* * *

The end of the first half of the first semester was right around the corner, and Kaito couldn't bear every time the clock ticked. It was as if it was teasing him, getting closer and closer, when it was so far away. It finally the bell rang, but it only signaled the start of lunch. He wasn't sure how much more torment he could take from this school, it kept waving his freedom in front of his face. He felt like a wild animal trying to break free from his cage.

Miku invited Kaito to the clubroom for lunch earlier today, telling him it was of the upmost importance to be there. He texted his usual lunch buddy, Neru, telling her that he was unavailable for lunch today, but would make it up to her soon. Flipping his phone shut, he headed off to Miku's clubroom. He felt he could locate it without his sister's help. Kaiko always asked him to walk with her and IA there before he left for work, so even with his terrible sense of direction, he thought he could remember which turns to take through the halls.

Eventually, he made his way to the room, only to find Luka sitting on a chair near the window, reading a book as per usual. "Hey, Luka! Where's Miku?"

Luka peered up from her book, greeting Kaito with a warm smile. Lately, Luka had enjoyed it when it was just her and Kaito. She enjoyed his presence more and more each day. They never did anything particularly special together. Their one-on-one interactions consisted of small talk, and their friends, but not much else. They were generally quiet around each other; Luka loved that though. She found that Kaito was a very calm and coolheaded person most of the time. Unless you brought up ice cream or he saw an opportunity to do something mischievous he hadn't done before, he was incredibly docile. That is, if he has spent enough time with you that is. Luka found hanging with Kaito was a nice break from her hyperactive friends. There was nothing wrong with them, but she liked to have someone around that didn't require the use of so much energy or interaction. They never hung out outside of school, except for the trip they had won, but she felt they were really were good friends nonetheless. "I'm not sure. She should be here soon though, it is pretty important."

Kaito chuckled softly. "So I heard." Kaito walked over and sat in Miku's spinning chair, which happened to be near Luka. Unbeknownst to Luka, Kaito felt the same way. Kaito was a very introverted person, so doing extroverted actions or large social gatherings drained his mental energy as opposed to just one other person. He enjoyed doing those things, but he'd need a lot of time to himself afterwards to recharge. This is why he liked Luka. With her, he didn't feel as if he was using much of his energy. He could just do simple chit chat and then just relax. Their conversations were always tranquil and flowed smoothly. He thought back when they were paired together for a class assignment. The teacher put them together since Luka had the highest grades in the class, while he was the only student that was failing. It was a bit rocky at first, but it smoothed out rather quickly. Normally, Kaito never listened to someone he didn't know well, but he had gotten used to Luka enough that he complied more often, following her instruction on how to do this and that correctly. Academic's wasn't his strong suit, so he was glad to have someone like Luka, who exceled at it. Sometimes, when they were working on it together, no words were exchanged the entire time. It didn't matter that they didn't speak, to Kaito, having someone there with you was all he desired. She could read, while he could do his own thing in the same room. "I guessing you know, so mind filling me in?" He asked.

Luka shook her head. "I think it'll be better to wait till Miku gets here, since she is the club president."

Kaito looked at her curiously. "So it has to do with the club, huh? Can't think a reason why you'd need me, but I guess I'll find out soon." Kaito began to study the room, noticing how much stuff they had in here. That only lasted a few seconds though, as only one thing really caught his attention and that was the violin. He could remember the sweet sounds and melodies he's made with his own. Nostalgia took over, his mind almost losing itself in the emotions you could feel when that instrument was played.

Luka took notice of Kaito's stare at the violin. "IA mentioned once that you used to play the violin quite a bit, but you don't really touch it anymore. By the way you're staring at it, you must have really like it."

"Can't say I didn't, but I threw it away a long time ago." He said nonchalantly.

Luka became stunned upon hearing that. 'IA said that he was extremely protective of it. Could he have really thrown it away?' "The way IA said it, it sounds like it was very dear to you. Did you not care much for it? Sorry; Am I asking too much about this? I don't want to tread on sensitive subjects." Luka asked cautiously.

Kaito held his hand up to her, showing her it's not a big deal. Exhaling first, he answered. "Nah, it's cool. It's nothing really, I used to play it a lot as a kid, though I did reject it at first. After learning it, I started feeling really good when I played it. Later, I just thought I didn't really need it or cared much for it anymore. I already mastered it, so I threw it out without a second thought. I didn't tell anyone I threw it away, so it makes sense that IA thinks I still have it. I was just thinking of the sounds I made with them, I really got lost in it sometimes. Sometimes, I go to the music store and play for a bit, so I don't get rusty. That's about it." Kaito finished, taking in a deep breath from all the talking he just did.

"So it wasn't that important to you then?" She asked, looking for confirmation on her previous thoughts.

Kaito placed a hand on his cheek, tapping it with only his index finger. "It sort of was, at first. But... after a while it turned into a keepsake. I don't need keepsakes though, I don't need them to remember the important stuff. What about you? You have your books, what do you like about them so much?"

Luka smirked at him. "Ohh, since you shared, I feel so compelled to share as well!"

Kaito brushed off her sarcasm. "You said it, not me. Go ahead miss smarty pants."

"Well, since you're so interested, I'll tell you. It's like experiencing different lives, viewing situations that your mind forms from what you read in your own unique way. When the main character is a female, I imagine it's me, following an unknown, but preset course that ends in just the right way." Luka said dreamily.

Kaito snapped his fingers in front of her face, preventing her from losing herself in her thoughts. "Sound's nice, but I don't have to attention span or time to make it past the first page. What's your favorite type of book then? You know, like funny, adventure, action?"

Luka turned her face away from Kaito, embarrassed to admit her favorite genre. Her cheeks heated up, she was afraid that he would tease her about her love for romance novels. She always dreamed that one day, a guy just like in her books would come for her, and sweep her off her feet. A guy that was intelligent, charismatic, handsome, mature, socialable, brave, confident, upstanding, and most importantly, had a kind heart. It was a silly dream, but everyone had their own fantasy, so she didn't see why she couldn't fantasize either. "F-favorite? I-I don't think I have one. T-there's just so many to chose from, I could never decide."

"Laaaiiiiirrrrr! You're not looking at me, I do the same thing, I can't look at someone when I lie! It's such a simple question. It's not like I'm asking about you're life story."

"Romance, okay!" Luka shouted sheepishly.

"Okay! I hear you loud and clear! Geez, didn't know it bothered you that much to say it... *snicker* Girly girl." Kaito added quietly, but still audible enough that she could hear.

Luka smacked his arm with her book. "I knew you were going to make fun of me, this is why I didn't want to tell you! You're such an immature kid!"

Kaito laughed, trying to block Luka's book from hitting him. "I won't make anymore comments about it, promise! That was the only one I had." Luka calmed down, giving him one last whack from her book before she began reading it again. "Besides, I'm use to it. IA likes those too that type of thing too, she watches anime about it all the time. Me and Kaiko have been begged to watch dozens of them with her, and it's not that bad either. *yawn* I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when Miku gets here." Kaito said as he stretched out and leaned back on his chair.

Only two minutes passed before a large slamming sound woke Kaito up. His eyes shot open, looking for the cause of the sound. He found Miku and Meiko locking the door, heavily panting, as if they had just been sprinting. Soon enough, you could hear multiple people banging on the other side. Miku wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Whew, we out ran them. Sorry guys, only third years allowed in right now. Wait till we're done talking, K?"

Outside Kaito could hear his sister, IA, Len, and Rin's voices on the other side. He leaned over to Luka and asked. "Should I be worried? I feel as if I should make a break for it while they're still catching their breath."

Luka closed her book and set it aside. "Probably not. Besides, Meiko will hunt you down if you do. Miku, mind explaining why he's here now."

"Right! But first, so they don't hear us." Miku grabbed one of the small handheld music players in the room and placed it in front of the door. She turned up the volume high, playing 'I'll Miku Miku you (For reals)' to cancel out any sounds from passing in or out of the room. She spun up and around, placing one hand on her hip and held a sheet with the other. "Kaito Shion! You have been selected to join the amazing, super talented... Project Diva! Just put your name on this paper right here and it's official! Hurry, right now! Don't even think about it!" Miku announced.

She walk over and started shoving the paper onto Kaito, while motioning Meiko to hand her a pen. Kaito tried fending off Miku, but the tealette didn't let up on trying to get him to sign that. "Um, I'm good. Besides, I have a job I go to at least three times a week. So I'd barely be here if I did. Do you really want someone like me in your club anyway? I'll only eat ice cream and nap all day when I do show up."

Kaito finally managed to push Miku off him, only to have Meiko put him in a headlock. "We just need the favor, don't make me abuse you more!"

Trying to pry the arm around his neck off, he shouted to Meiko. "So you admit you abuse me! Someone call the poli- wait, what am I thinking? They don't do anything in this town."

Luka sighed at this scene. She thought Miku would have explained why they needed Kaito immediately, but Miku would rather force it on him first and tell him later because she liked to rush things. As always, Luka would need to be the voice that wasn't shouting or making somewhat playful threats. "Miku, I said to explain, not pressure him. And Meiko, beating him isn't going to help either. You got to calm down your violence with him."

"Ah, I'm just playing around, you know, rough housing! Plus, he gets up every time! It's awesome having something you can go wild on!"

"Not for me!" Kaito yelled.

Luka sighed once more. She really wondered why Meiko enjoyed hitting Kaito more then anyone else. Sure, she was rough with her and Miku from time to time, but she really let loose her violent side around him. She guessed that Meiko thought Kaito could handle it, which he did, and he never retaliated either, making him an easy outlet. It made him seem slightly spineless and cowardly. "I'll explain since you two are acting like a pair of school bullies. We need you to join our club because it might get shut down due to the lack of members we have. The student council made two new requirements this year; One, that all clubs must have eight members to be official. If we don't submit that sheet by the end of the day, it's curtain call for us, so we're a little desperate to get someone. The other is that each club needs at least two of each gender. And you're the only male left that we know isn't already in a club. We already got Len to sign up, so you're all that's left."

Kaito scratched the back of his head. He still wasn't to sure he wanted to join. Juggling an afterschool club and a 'job' seemed challenging. Well, more like effort. Kaito just felt too lazy to add something else to do on his life, and he didn't even have to do anything but be there.

Miku grinned, having an ace in the hole to convince their blue haired friend. Pulling a small cup of ice cream with a spoon from behind her, she presented it along with the sign up sheet. "If you sign up now, I promise a cup of ice cream every time you co-"

Miku couldn't even finish, Kaito infatuation for ice cream made him sign his name and yank the cup from her hand, devouring it like a beast. "I'm in!"

'Maybe I should have done that first.' Miku thought in her mind.

Speaking in between bites, the ice cream lover asked. "Is that all you wanted to ask? I don't think you'd need to lock them out and turn on the music that loudly if it's just for that."

Miku folded up the signed sheet before answering. "Course not! We wanted to ask if you wanted to join us tonight, around say... ten-ish? We always do something different to kick off summer break, and we want you to join us, since you're old enough like us."

Kaito looked at Miku curiously. "Old enough for what?"

"Don't worry about it! Don't even worry about it! They're just, you know, kid-ish. This is just a thing for big kids! So, wanna come?" She asked again.

Kaito looked to Luka for a better explanation, but she didn't have an answer for him. "I usually let them pick it out, so I got nothing for you." She said simply.

Finding no reason to say no, and Kaito always having fun with them around, he shrugged and nodded. "So where are we meeting up?"

Meiko entered the conversation again putting her arm around Miku. "Right in front of the school! We'll head out after everyone shows up, k? And don't tell Kaiko, IA, Rin, or Len, got it? Third years only!" Meiko told him sternly.

Kaito nodded, but had one more thing to ask. "Since only third years are allowed, mind if I invite Neru? It won't a problem, will it?" He asked sincerely. Lately, Neru had been asking him to help her make friends with other girls her age. It wasn't that Kaito wasn't enough for her. She really cherished their friendship and had fun every time, but as a guy, Kaito couldn't do other things that girls did together simply because he was a guy. He didn't know what is was, but he sure wasn't interested in finding out.

Miku squealed at this. "Yeah, it fine! You can totally bring her! Oh my gosh, we're going to be hanging with Neru! Soon, we'll be one of the few people that school that she talks to! We'll be so popular, and then our club's going to attract so much attention!"

Kaito dropped a sweat hearing that statement. 'Right... she doesn't know her rep is only made up by other kids, and she's just super shy. Ah well, they'll all like her anyway. These guys... they're pretty accepting.'

* * *

Kaito grabbed his umbrella and started exiting his house. Well, at least he was trying to. His sister was clinging on to his leg, being dragged across the floor, as she begged him not to leave. "Oni-chaaaannn! Don't leave me! It's dark! What happens when the killer's come for me!? I don't want to die!" Kaiko cried as she struggled to stop her brother from leaving.

If Kaito wasn't already wearing his skates, it'd be a much easier task. "This is why I told you not to watch scary movies! It's been four days already!" Kaito, as much as he adored his little sister, was having his patience tested too much. Every time she watch a scary movie, she refused to be apart from her precious older brother when the sun set, thinking a killer or apparition would come for her at night. She would constantly text and call Kaito at work, asking him leave work early and come home, which he refused to do after the first time. And when he went to sleep, Kaiko didn't even bother sneaking in his bed later, no, she was already under the covers, waiting for him. He didn't have much of a problem with the last one since they had done it all the time when they were younger, but he was concerned that she'd lose all the progress she made on becoming less dependent on him. Looking over to IA, who was munching on cookies on the couch, for affirmation that she could keep Kaiko clam while he was gone. "Can you get her off my leg, you told me you had a plan for this."

"Kaiko, I bought a bag of popsicles at the store, they're in the freezer if you want some." IA said as she put another cookie in her mouth.

"Really!?" Kaiko released herself from her brother's limb and jetted toward the kitchen.

Kaito mentally smacked himself. 'How'd I forget that?'

With the cookie half sticking out of her mouth, IA frantically motioned Kaito to run now, as this was his only chance to escape. Not wasting another second, he opened his umbrella to shield him from the rain, sped out and slammed the door shut, causing Kaiko to pop her head out of the kitchen with a half eaten popsicle in one hand. "Oni-chan?" Seeing that he was gone, her eyes became misty and her voice turning more high pitch. "O-...oni-...chan? On-!"

IA covered her ears before Kaiko's usual wails started. 'This is going to be a long night.'

* * *

Neru rode piggy back on Kaito as he skated toward the rendezvous point. Neru held the umbrella above them to protect them from the rain. "Kaito, do you think they'll like me?" She asked softly, afraid of the answer.

"They'll love you, you're such a nice person. Don't get scared now, tonight's all about fun! Whatever it is we're doing, it'll be fine." Kaito responded confidently. He could understand her timidness, making new friends isn't the smoothing process when you've never had one to begin with. He was all she had as a friend, and he was determined help her on her quest for more.

"You sure? What if my voice won't come out or I stay on my phone too much or-" Neru continued to ramble on about possible things she could do to mess things up.

Eventually, Kaito put a stop to it. "If! You do any of that stuff, I'll cover you. Don't worry, I'll be real subtle about it." He assured her. "Hey, look! I see Luka there already! She'll be real easy to talk to, she's real cool about stuff." Kaito rushed over to the pinkette, who was reading a book under her pink umbrella at the school gates. Neru hopped off Kaito's back when they had made it to Luka, still holding Kaito's blue umbrella, shielding both of them from the rain while he took his skates off and talked to Luka. "Luka! How late am I?"

Luka gave him a small smile and answered. "Only by five minutes. At least you're not like Miku and Meiko, they won't be here for another half hour. Unlike them, you try to be on time."

"Really? They're always late like this? Why are you on time if you know that then?" He asked.

Luka nodded and sighed. "I wouldn't want you to think that we stood you up or anything like that. Miku and Meiko are just huge procrastinators."

Kaito laughed at the truth in her words. "Haha! True, true. By the way, you know Neru right?" Kaito pointed to Neru and stepped back behind her, still under the umbrella. He took his umbrella from her so he wouldn't have to crouch under the umbrella since she was much shorter then him, and gave her a light shove to Luka.

Luka talked to her in her usual calm, friendly tone she used when she meets new people. "Hi Neru. I don't know if you know me, but I'm Megurine Luka, nice to meet you. You're a very popular person here, I hope I'm not too much of a bore for you. Miku and Meiko are the more exciting one's." Luka extended her hand out for a handshake.

Neru stared at it, slowly and awkwardly shaking her hand. Neru tried to say something, but she felt her throat tightening up, barely allowing her to breath normally. Luckily for her, Luka spoke again, allowing her another chance to continue a conversation. "Sorry that we have to wait out here in the rain for my friends, they wanted us to be here for the meet up. I'm not sure what they have planned for us. Are you curious about it?"

There it was, a question. It was the perfect time to reply. Neru couldn't do it though, her shyness had to much inertia for any force she could muster up from her body to affect it. Luka looked at her with a small saddened expression. "Um, I guess you'd rather talk with Kaito, so I'll just go back to my book." Luka returned her attention to her novel.

'No!' Neru screamed in her head. Her window of opportunity was closing. She begged, she wished for some outside force to set the words stuck in her throat in motion. That's when she felt it, a force the struck her. Unfortunately, this was Kaito's elbow jabbing her back. "Ow!" She winced before turning around with an angered look on her face.

Neru saw Kaito pretending to look away, and balling a fist in front of his mouth. "Cough!" He shouted.

'Did... did he just say cough? Is he serious!? You're doing it wrong! You're supposed to actually cough, do you think we can't tell the difference!?' "Kaito-!" Neru stopped speaking when she saw Kaito pointing in Luka's direction. She turned to find Luka looking back up at her, curious about hearing Kaito say cough so loudly. She'd gotten another chance to say something, anything. Neru opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Then, another jab came to her back. "OW!"

"Cough!" Kaito kept elbowing her back somewhat lightly, yelling the word cough each time, for every five seconds she didn't say anything.

Neru had enough of Kaito hitting her and started yelling at him. "What is wrong with you!? Will you stop hitting me, it's not helping! And shouting 'cough' is not subtle!"

"Don't blame me! I can't think of anything else! This is mostly your fault anyway, just say one word, it's not that hard! Hi, is saying that so hard!?"

"You said that you'd help me, but your making it worse! I can't get anything out with you constantly hitting me and yelling 'cough' over and over!"

Kaito threw his one free hand up in the air. "I'm no better at being social then you, you know that! Plus, I didn't think it'd be that hard! I couldn't think of anything so I guess I'm full of crap!" Kaito argued back, poorly defending himself.

Luka decided to interject, hoping to find out what the heck was going on here. "Kaito, what dumb thing did you do now?"

Both of their bickering ceased when Luka spoke. Kaito leaned over and whispered to Neru. "Can I just tell her about your shyness and stuff? I mean, it'll be really awkward at this point for us if I don't." Neru nodded reluctantly, bringing out her phone for comfort. Kaito walked over to Luka and explained to her about Neru's shyness, how the status she had formed only on rumors and speculation, when in contrary, she was just another faint-hearted teenager.

"So that's all? You should have just told me from the get go, I would've understood. Neru, it's not a problem that you're like that. I used to be just the same before I met Miku, it'll take a while, but trust me, you'll get past it." Luka assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Neru nodded, relieved that Luka was such a empathetic person, and understood where she was coming from. "So tell me, how did end up being friends with Kaito? Knowing him, he must have done something really annoying and stupid!" Neru nodded happily, typing out her response on her phone and showing the screen to Luka. Luka giggled at what she read. "I can see him doing something like that, he's such a jerk sometimes, isn't he? Making some really mean comments too, being completely insensitive to others, am I right?" Neru giggled in agreement. "Such a baka!" Luka cupped her hand and whispered into the blondes ear. "But after being stuck with him all day, you end up thinking he's a pretty nice guy after all, because he does a few little nice things at the end, right?" Neru nodded again, the huge smile on her face proved how accurate Luka's statement was. "The same thing with me! What a baakaaa!" The two girls broke out in a fit of giggles.

Kaito, however, was getting annoyed. 'Did they forget I'm right here!? They're just insulting me over and over, it's not even that funny!' What frustrated him the most was the part when Luka whispered something into Neru ear. He had no idea what she said, but the desire to find out burned inside him. "Hey, what was that last part!? Stop laughing about me! What did you say!? Tell me!"

Luka held her hand out in front of his face. "Girl talk. No baka boys allowed."

Kaito's phone then went off. He opened his phone and read _"And you're a Baaaakkkaaaa! lol!"_

'I somehow screw myself over, didn't I?'

* * *

Neru and Luka had been chatting nonstop since then about Kaito's bad qualities and many flaws. Relief washed over Kaito when he saw Miku and Meiko had finally made it, he had grown tired all of the negative comments about him. "Miku, Meiko!" He called out to them.

Miku waved her hand back, rushing to his side. "Hey, you ready for awesomeness and fun!"

"Yeah! Bring it on! First off though, Miku, this is Neru. Neru, Miku."

"Neru! It's so awesome to finally talk to you! Are you excited for tonight?" Miku hugged Neru tightly, releasing her after a few seconds. She waited for some sort of reply, but none came from the blonde girl. "Yoo hoo! Neru, you in there?" All the tealette saw was a fidgeting girl in front of her. She was a bit disappointed, she was expecting her to be charming and cool, and she wasn't saying anything.

Luka pulled Miku to her side. "Miku, Neru is a bit... shy. Tone it down a bit for now."

"Whaaat? Whatcha mean?" Luka repeated back what Kaito told her previously. "Really? My bad then! Sorry, Neru! I guess I shouldn't have come on so strong, heh heh." She apologized sheepishly. Neru accepted her apology with a simple nod.

Meanwhile, Meiko had Kaito in a headlock for no reason whatsoever. "Help me! Why do you only do this to me?! I get the worst of it out of everyone here!"

Meiko laughed. "I don't know! Kinda feels like I've done it before though! What can I say, it feels! So! Natural!"

As entertaining as it was to see Kaito in pain, Miku wanted to get on with tonight. "Meiko, you can do that later. Now lets get on with tonight! Everyone, to the clubroom!" Miku announced, motioning everyone to follow her.

Kaito was happy to be released from Meiko's grip, but something seemed to plague his mind with bad feelings when she told him that they'd be going inside the school. 'Gah, my head hurts. It's like I'm trying to remember something or I'm getting Deja vu, but it I feel so weird going in now. Damn it! It feels like it's so obvious! I don't think I've ever been to a school at night before, so what is it?'

* * *

Upon entering the dark clubroom, Meiko shut the door behind them. Miku made everyone sit down and form a circle in the middle of the room. Kaito sat between Neru and Luka, still wondering what this strange feeling he was having. Then Miku grabbed a candle from inside her desk, placed it in the center of the circle and lit it.

The second the candle was lit, it finally hit him on what was off. In that instant Kaito got up and sprinted toward the door without any warning. He made it halfway out the door, but fell backwards into the room. Meiko, who was still standing in front of the door, had grabbed Kaito's scarf and yanked him back in. She shut the door once more, and locked it this time; just in case Kaito made a break for it again, him wasting time unlocking it in the panicked state he was in would give Meiko enough time to grab him again. Kaito squirmed around as Meiko wrestled him into submission, back into his spot.

She ended up having to sit on his back, Kaito flat against the floor, wailing his limbs around like a cockroach about to be crushed to death. "Let me go, let me go, let me go! Screw all of you! I don't want to die!" Kaito screamed at the top of his lungs.

Meiko did a small hop on her butt, the impact subduing Kaito a little. "What's you're problem? We're just going to tell a scary story. It's not like we're doing some sort of satanic summon ritual or anything."

"It might as well be! I set off a major red flag coming inside school at night while it's FUCKING raining outside and I need to get out of here while I still have the chance! There's a limited time frame of me getting the hell away from before my death is set in stone!" A lightning flashed and thunder followed right after his sentence ended. It rained even harder, the thousands of drops hit the windows harder and the sound of impact resonated louder and longer throughout the room. "Look! Now lightning and thunder! Let me go! If you all want to die, fine then, but let me live! Neru, help me!"

Neru typed on her phone and presented the screen to Kaito. _"I kinda wanna stay, it really seems like fun! Sry, X)!"_

"Neru, why!? You'll end up dying! Luka! You're the nicest person here, please help me! Tell Meiko to let me go!" Kaito begged.

Luka gave him a sympathetic look. "Maybe we should let him go. He really doesn't seem comfortable with this."

Meiko grabbed Luka and bent her over her lap. "I could sit on you too. It really won't be that hard, you are the weakest person here, I'll put you on top of him."

Luka whispered to Kaito. "Sorry, but I don't want to end up like you. Last year we took stuff from the astronomy club and stargazed on the roof, and nothing bad happened, so you should probably calm down. It'll be fine."

"Screw you for not helping! You want me dead, don't you!? I'm the only one that isn't insane, I should be allowed to leave!" Kaito yelled back. He was in a frenzic state of fear from his own phobia and paranoia that he lashed out at anything that prevented him from escaping into what he deemed safe, which was anywhere but there.

"Well fine then! Meiko can sit on you all night then! You big coward! I hope a ghost does shows up and spirits you away!" Luka yelled back, miffed at Kaito's harsh words. She picked herself off of Meiko's lap and sat back in her spot, crossing her arms and looking away from him.

Kaito began shouting out every profanity and curse he could think of, releasing his frustrations to everyone in the room, hoping they would release him. Miku, however, wanted to get on with the story she had prepared for tonight. So she raised her voice to speak over Kaito's swearing so it would come across more clear. "Okay guys I wanted to talk in a spooky voice, but I'm going to have to talk real loud like this till Kaito stops freaking out! I'm gonna start now!"

Kaito ceased his swearing when he heard Miku announce that. "Miku, don't! Don't do it! Once you start, it'll all be over! We'll all be screwed! You're gonna get all of us killed, spirited away, sent to hell, trapped in a torture chamber, get our souls devoured! Miku, don't set off another flag!" Kaito screamed his plea's at her, hoping she would listen to his request.

His heart sank when he saw Miku take in a deep breath. "About twenty years ago!" Miku yelled as loudly as she could.

'We're dead. Game over.' Kaito 's head hit the floor and lost consciousness.

Everyone looked to Kaito when they didn't hear him screaming anymore, they were all expecting him to match Miku's volume to prevent her from continuing. Instead, they saw a motionless blue boy under the brunette's rear end. Meiko bounced a bit on him to rile him up, but got no reaction. "Kaito? You okay? Guys, I think he passed out. Wow, what a wuss! Ha, this is hilarious already!"

"What a coward." Luka added bitterly. Neru tapped his head with her phone and got the same result as Meiko.

Miku just shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well! On the bright side, he can't get scared! Now, twenty years ago in this very clubroom, there was a guy named Big Al." Everyone decided to let forgot about Kaito and enjoy the night. They all leaned in as Miku went on with her tale.

* * *

_"Big Al started a club like ours here. He wanted to be a famous like us, practicing his singing day in and day out. He loved music so much, but each day he got more and more obsessed with it. He started skipping all his classes to be in this clubroom, and sing for hours on end. Big Al would sing every second of the day. In the halls, in the shower, while he ate, even while he slept. _

_His friends within the club were concerned at first, but they all became jealous of him later on. He was getting more and more popular each day, to the point that a music company agent came down to the school and asked him to come with them sometime and record songs. When his 'friends' heard about it, there jealousy flared up. They had been trying longer than he had, and he got recognized before they did. So like what we're doing now, they invited him to sneak in the school with them at night, but to give him a farewell party before he left. They brought booze into the school, and drank the night away. _

_Big Al's 'friends' kept pressuring him to drink more and more with them. Unfortunately for Big Al, he didn't know that they had put small traces of poison in his sake. Each shot he took gave him a small trace of it, making him sicker and sicker. He figured that this was just how it felt to drink alcohol for the first time. So he kept on taking shot after shot, his stomach's pain became unbearable, and then he threw up. He wasn't surprised at first, throwing up was natural after so many drinks, but he soon became horrible at the sight at what he had thrown up. _

_It was blood. It was his blood. Then, he started cough uncontrollably. Each cough spewed blood at spattered on the ground, painting the floor a dark, dirty red. After losing so much blood, he collapsed in the pool of red liquid he coughed out. With only one eye opened, the blood repainted his vision red as it stained his eye, Big Al saw his three friends looking at him with contempt. 'You were so full of yourself, we'd thought we'd help empty you out. We got rid of a lot of your blood for you, and soon your soul will leave your body to. Have fun singing in hell. Don't worry, we'll go to the studio in your place.' _

_They said as they left him there to die. But that wasn't the end of it. Consumed with rage, Big Al didn't move on to the afterlife. His hate was so strong that the reaper who takes you're soul, came and made him an offer. 'You, whose emotions override all morals of a normal human being, work under me with the others I have gathered and collect all the excess souls in this world. Accept this E capsule from the underworld and become a reaper, who severs the last strand of life the dying hold on to.' The reaper told him as he held out the E capsule in front of him. _

_Big Al took it without a second thought. He only wanted to slaughter his friends, he didn't care about anything he have to do to get it. When he grabbed it, his body changed. His hair spiked back, lost two inches of height, his body became slimmer and tone, and the back of his coat grew down to his feet. For the final touch, a scythe, which looked like a gigantic musical note appeared in his hand. He stood up and looked to the reaper, who was fading away. 'Feel nothing but wrath as you take life.' Was it's parting words. __This was the beginning for Big Al slaughter feast." _

Miku's story was putting everyone on edge. Neru was clutching her phone tightly, holding it to her chest for comfort. Luka hugged herself, hoping she could get some solace like Neru did with her phone. The thundering outside grew more erratic and louder every second, and the rain hadn't let down in the slightest since it started. Luka honestly started wondering if she should have tried to leave like Kaito attempted. The weather, the dimly lit room; paranoia creped into her mind, believing every word Miku spoke to be true, terrifying her to no end. Meiko was the only one, besides Miku, who was excited to hear the story go on. As for Kaito, he was still a unconscious mat for Meiko.

_"He didn't waste a second going after his friends. None of them made it past the school gate. He made sure to take his time with each kill, torturing them before raising his scythe for the final touch, a beheading. But Big Al wasn't satisfied with that. No, his wrath was far from over. _

_For the next few weeks, he continued to murder students in the school. They were completely innocent, but it didn't matter to him. The anger he held inside him hadn't faded away let. So he left the school and wandered around for more victim's. They mostly were adults and teenagers until one day, he came across a little blonde girl at the park. She was sewing back together a teddy bear that looked like it had been sewn together countless times before. She wore a large black and red hoodie with stitches all over it. _

_'Mister, can you help me? I need new things for my bear, the arms and legs keep tearing apart, even when I put them back together. I cut off the bad arm before and put on a new arm, but it fell off anyway. Was it not good enough?' The girl asked him with scissors in one hand and a needle and thread in the other. _

_B__ig Al knocked the teddy bear out of her hands and sliced off the bear limbs, and continued to hack away at it, till it's stuffing was littered all over the ground. 'Why'd you do that to my friend!? I worked really hard to fix him! You jerk!' The girl screamed at him. _

_Big Al cocked his head to the side, his eyes widened in anger. He raised his weapon up and brought it down, cutting off her right arm. The girl screamed in pain and fell on the ground. She cried and cried for help as Big Al cut both her legs off. She tried to crawl away with the one limb she had left on her, only to have her attacker hack it off. She trembled underneath the menacing figure towering over her. 'I hate that happy face you had. I should cut it off next.' He told her as he plunge the tip of his scythe into her heart. He waited till she was at the very brink of dying before he would slice her head off, but before he got the chance, the reaper who saved him appeared. It walked over to the dying girl and started speaking to her. _

_B__ig Al couldn't hear a thing though, as if only the person he talked to could. Then, her chopped off body parts slowly inched back to her body, reattaching themselves. The reaper looked at Big Al and told him. 'You have done well. One thousand souls have been returned in such a short time, you may move on to the afterlife anytime you wish, or you can continue to collect more souls for me, your choice. Worry not, I now have someone to take you're place if you do. Her mind has warped with the cruelty and great injustice you've done to her; She'll be the greatest collector of souls yet, and I won't have to trap her mind in that state like I did you. You are released from your rage. Goodbye.' And with that, it vanished again. _

_'What the- no... I... nooooo! Ahhh! I murdered those people! I can't- I-I- the corpses won't get out of my head! Stop screaming! I'm sorry, please stop screaming! I was crazy, I didn't want to do it! Shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!' Big Al's mind was controlled to do the reaper's work for him, and all of the horrible things he replayed in his mind. He would have kept freaking out, but his attention was drawn to the little girl he had just killed, who was standing in front of him, holding the teddy bear he destroyed. 'I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I know you can never forgive me, just know that I regret what I did! I'm a horrible person that should have never been born!' _

_The girl didn't care at all though. 'I need to find parts.' She said as she went toward a couple that just started passing by. 'Wait! Please let me make things right! I'll do anythi-" He stopped talking when he saw the child attacking the couple. She was cutting off their limbs and switching them around, stitching random body parts onto the other. _

_'None of these parts were any good for my friend. But you guys have better parts now, you have his and you have hers. It's like you're one. Maybe I should sew two people together next time hehehe!' The little girl ran off, leaving two dead corpses with mixed up limbs behind her. _

_Big Al chased after her. 'I caused this, I made her a monster. I need to make this right. I'll find you, I swear!' Big Al screamed. And that's was the end of Big Al killing spree. But... also the start of a worse one. Big Al followed the trail of corpses she left, always too late to catch up to her. And that's where the story ends. They say though, that if you cut off the limbs of a teddy bear, she'll come to take them, and some of yours. Then Big Al will appear afterwards to put you out of your misery."_

* * *

Miku exhaled, finishing her story. Then she pulled out a teddy bear with a pair of scissors from behind her. The pinkette's eyes exploded when her best friend brought those items. "M-Miku! W-what do you think you're doing!? Where did you get that?!"

Miku shook her head, chuckling at Luka's obvious anxiety. "I bought it at the store earlier and I grabbed it when you were bent over Meiko."

"Miku, y-y-you shouldn't be doing creepy stuff like that. Just put it down, ok? Meiko, you should tell a story now! Go on!"

Meiko grinned at her. "Nope! I want to see her cut up the bear! Let's see if she'll show up! What's wrong, Luka? Are you scaaaared?"

"No! It's just freaky to cut up stuff animals for no reason!" Luka shot back.

Meiko grabbed the scissors from Miku and placed them on Luka's hand. "Then you can do the honors. You're not scaaared, right? Unless... you really believe the story. Scared of little girls with ted-"

"I'm not scared! Hold the stupid bear on the floor, I'll d-do it!" Miku did as she asked and held down the bear in front of her. Luka pulled a leg up slowly and opened up her scissors. Her grip on them was loose and shaky as the leg stayed in-between the blade. Luka shut her eyes and cut it in one shot. Slowly, she opened one eye, and found that nothing had happen. She let out the breath she didn't even know she was holding in, in the first place. "No big deal, just a stupid story."

Meiko stood up and stretched out, walking around to loosen her stiff body. "Yeah, yeah. We believe you. Gimme a second to move, I really need to get my blood flowing again."

Miku started to tease her friend for the way she was acting. "Luka, you totally thought she was gonna show up. Your hand was spazing out, you big chicken! You too, Neru! I thought you both were gonna pee yourselves any second!"

Luka's face reddened at Miku's remarks. "I was not! My hand was just-" Before she could explain herself, dozens of bloody teddy bears fell from above, creating loud smacking sounds as they hit the ground. Luka and Neru screamed from the top of their lungs, scrambling backwards and up against the windows. Their hearts were practically jumping out of their chests, ready to burst out with each thump it made. Then a 'click' sound was heard, followed by a flash, then laughter. Miku had taken a picture her phone and was keeling over, clutching her sides, trying to subdue the pain at her sides. Meiko was in the same state as Miku, banging on a wall in the corner of the room, but instead of her sides, she held on to a rope that lead up to a hole in the ceiling, and a tile was hanging open where all the bears had dropped. Luka was fuming. Her friends planned to do this from the very beginning.

"You bastards!" Luka, and surprisingly, Neru, yelled as well. Miku managed to get on her knees, but still had to clutch her ribcage from all the laughter she was emitting.

"Y-our faces! Haha, your faces! I got it on camera! I wish Kaito would stayed awake so I could have got his face too! Best prank ever!"

Meiko made her way over to Neru and repeatedly smacked her back. "I like you! You're real easy to scare! From now on, you're on of us!"

As much as Neru was angered by Miku and Meiko's prank, it quickly subsided upon hearing that she was accepted among then. "T-thank you!"

Miku grabbed the bear that Luka had cut and swished it around the air. "Oh lookie here! This bear is missing the leg! I wonder where the little girl is? Oh, did you hear that? She's coming! She com-" Miku was cut off by the sound of hands smacking on the door's window, leaving red imprints all over. A figure that came crashing down from the open ceiling tile. Upon landing, the gust created from the drop blew out the candle, darkening the room. Miku's pigtails shot up as she lunged toward Luka, hiding her face in her chest. "Gaaaah! The heck was that?! Luka hide me!"

Everyone's eyes looked at what fell down. Lightning flashed, showing for only a second, a girl in a oversized red and black hoodie with a stitching patches on it. Her hood covered the upper portion of her face, leaving only a sinister smile to be seen. In one hand she held scissors coated in crimson liquid. In the another, a rundown, over-repaired stuffed bear. When she spoke, it sounded like there were multiple copies of herself all around the room, all of them speaking in sync. "Parts... there's so many parts for my friend... but... I need... your. Parts. Too..."

"W-why?" Everyone glared at Miku for asking such a stupid question in this kind of situation.

"... I! Don't! Know!" The girl screamed at them, laughing manically. She took one step forward, causing everyone to run out of the room. The girl titled her head and followed them slowly. She spoke again, her voice echoed through every hall, room, corner and crevice in the school. "I sealed all the doors to the outside. There's only one to open them. You need to borrow my friend. Are we playing hide-and-seek?"

* * *

A few minutes passed. Kaito finally shot up from the floor and sprinted out the door. 'Thank god! Pretending to be unconscious the entire time made everyone _and_ the ghost forget about me! I got to get out of here before I lose my soul or lose my limbs! Gotta run!' Kaito kept zooming through the hall, literally leaping down the staircase, so he wouldn't waste a second going down a single step. He finally made to where they all entered. He grabbed the handle of the door and yanked it over and over, but it didn't budge one bit. 'What the hell!? Are the doors sealed!? What bull crap! There is no way I'm going anywhere near her for the 'key' out of here! Why won't the door ope- ... wait.'

Kaito grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. With his other free hand, he covered face in shame. "I'm so glad no one saw that." He extended his leg forward, ready to leave, but it stayed suspended in the air, unable to complete one step. "Eh? Eh? What's happening here? There's a evil spirit back there, I should be long gone by now. Oh right! Almost forgot my umbrella!" Kaito walked over to the shoe lockers and grabbed his umbrella. He noticed that the everyelse's umbrellas were still here. 'They all probably ran out and forgot their stuff. Yep, that's it! Well, time to go home!'

Back at the door, Kaito got stuck in the same spot again. "Move. Just move. Safety is right there! Come on, Kaiko and IA are waiting for you back home. Body, get in gear! Tell me why you won't move, we're going to die if we keep wasting time!" Kaito fought with himself for a while before he finally came to the conclusion on why he couldn't leave. 'I hate my soul. It can't go deciding things like this without me. Not like I was going to actually leave anyway, I have to go back for Neru, but I didn't know that I thought Luka, Miku, and Meiko were... my friends. Errrgh! Saving everyone; That's impossible in horror movies.' He dropped his umbrella and headed back in the school toward what he knew was basic suicide.

His mind had sense, it knew to run in this type of circumstance, but his soul, his very personality, denied him that. He could never forget about someone he cared about. No matter how much his logical mind screamed at him, if someone he cared about could be in danger, if something could cause them pain, a switch would flip off inside him. He valued their lives far more than his own, they're what made his life so much fun.

He finally made it to the hallway where the clubroom was located. Kaito knew that in horror movies, there is always that one person that comes back when someone, him, is forgotten about, left behind, or possibly dead but unsure about it. He expected to see Neru there looking for him, what he didn't see coming was both Neru and Luka sitting by the door. Neru was rapidly mashing buttons on her phone while Luka was rocking back and forth, hugging herself. "We left him. We left him and he's gone. I'm a horrible person, the last thing I told him was that I wanted him to disappear. I didn't think it actually come true." Luka was on the verge of tears.

Kaito examined them first to make that they weren't a trap. He had played pc games where this scene unfolds, only for the person to be a monster and kill them while the player comforts them. Then he remembered that it was always only one person, not two. Which meant they weren't death traps. Kaito, recalling putting his phone on silence in case his sister kept calling him to come home, checked his to see he had twelve missed calls from his sister, and two hundred and thirty-four missed texts from Neru. 'Yep, real deal.' Since it was safe Kaito jogged over and knelt down near them. "Are you two okay?"

They both looked up in disbelief, before lunging at him, hugging him tightly. "Kaito! Thank god you're okay! I thought I lost my best friend! We got separated from Miku and Meiko, I don't know where they are!"

"Kaito! I didn't mean it, don't ever vanish like that again! I'd never want that to happen to you, I was just mad!"

As sweet as the moment was, Kaito couldn't help but think how funny it would be to tell them that he was a spirit now, and he wanted to help them escape before the girl devours his soul. He waived off his mischievous thoughts and got back to his slightly more serious self. "I'm happy that you came back for me and all, but we should move now. Staying in one spot too long always makes the thing that's trying to kill you, find you really fast. Let's find Miku and Meiko as fast as we can and get out of here."

Both of them pulled themselves off Kaito and nodded. Neru got up fine, but Luka struggled, having Neru help lift her up halfway. "Luka, is there something wrong with you?" 'Please don't tell me...'

"Luka tripped before and hit her shin really hard. She can't walk to well." Neru told him.

'Aw man, that's really bad if it's Luka.' After their trip together, Kaito found out that Luka was very frail. She felt pain much more then the average person, and hurt herself much more from simple accidents like tripping. Kaito turned his back to her and positioned himself for her to climb on his back. "Get on."

"No, it's okay. I'll be fine." Luka told him unconvincingly.

"I know you'll be fine, so get on my back already so I don't have to worry."

"Kaito, I can han-"

"Luka, get on. Not trying to scare you, but the person who injures themselves and can't run usually ends up dying really fast. If I carry you the entire time, I don't have to worry about something happening to you. Now get on, I want you on my back, where it's safe."

Luka hesitated for a bit before complying. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and motion her legs so he could grab them and complete the piggyback. "Thanks." She mumbled onto his shoulder. Not responding to her gratitude, Kaito motioned for Neru to follow him. "Kaito?"

"It's really not a problem, Luka. Don't worry about it."

Luka shook her head. "No, that's not it. We abandoned you. You could have died because we left you, aren't you mad at us? Don't you hate us?" Kaito paused for a bit before bursting out in a fit of giggles, which slowly transformed into full out laughter.

Luka's heart started sinking. His reaction made her feel like he was ridiculing her cowardice, which she thought he had every right to. Kaito calmed down his laughter enough so he could speak clearly, but traces of laughter could still be heard while he spoke. "You know, technically I ditched you guys first."

"What?" Luka and Neru said.

"Remember when Miku started telling the story and you thought I passed out? Faked it. I thought if something did show up, it'd go after you guys since most things like that leave the unconscious person alone, thinking they'll stay there or something like happens all the time in games accept the main character isn't faking it; Once the coast was cleared, I made a mad dash for the exit." Luka and Neru couldn't believe what they we're hearing. He already had an escape route for himself and it involved them as decoys. "But even though I tried only to save myself, I couldn't do it. I wanted you all to leave with me. So I went back to look for you, like you did for me. Point is, we were all scared, and our fear was clouding up our normal thoughts. No one thinks all that clearly when they're scared unless; One, they've been through it before. Two, they don't really know how bad it can get, so they downsize how bad it is, and don't take it all that seriously. Or three, a mental breakdown. So it's not all that bad that you left. What matters is you came back, so I think we're even on the ditching and saving. Do you guys hate me?"

Both girls shook her heads, shocked, but at the same time, put their worries to ease. "Then I don't hate you. Simple as that. Besides, I don't think I have it in me to hate someone; I can get mad, but not hate." 'I definitely had a good reason to that one time.'

They started walking through the hallways, aimlessly looking around for their friends. Kaito decided to tell them a few rules they'll need to follow to not end up dead like all the characters in games and movies, and avoid doing all the stupid mistakes they did. "First off, no yelling. That always helps the killer, or in this case the ghost girl, find you. Second, never go off on you're own, no matter what you see, no matter what happens. That's how everyone gets picked off, even though we kinda already did that, so stay together. Third, if we hear crying, ignore it. That's an instant trap, it's just a fake sound trying to lure you in. Forth, don't hide, running until you lose them is always the best option unless the only way to run is past the ghost. Then, you can hid. Never inside somewhere like a locker though, you need to be able to run away easily if they find you. Those are the basics."

Neru nodded at Kaito. They began searching each and every classroom. With each empty room they searched, they're hope of reuniting with their friends and leaving here alive. Opening another door, they noticed something hiding inside the teacher's podium. Kaito motioned Neru to stick closely behind him as he made his way toward the podium.

Kaito and Luka's face turned completely monotonous at the slight of Miku's butt sticking out toward them while she buried her head inside the podium. 'Well, didn't think I'd see such a clear view of Miku's ass in my life. It's just sticking out to me too. If look any longer, I'll look like a huge perver- *Gasp* Wait!'

Luka opened her mouth to speak, but Kaito let go of her legs to cover it right away, muffling her voice. Luka wondered why he didn't let her speak, but she assumed he wanted to make sure that is was indeed Miku and not an illusion of some sort. Kaito moved his scarf up to cover up most of his face, stopping right below the eyes. Clasping both hands together, he form a hand sign and took a deep breath. 'I... will probably never get the chance to do this again. So I must take advantage of it, even if it the noise attracts the ghost and kills me! This is so gonna be worth it!' Kaito turned his head to Luka.

Luka only saw his eyes, but she found a glint of mischief in his eyes. 'What on earth is he doing? Why'd he cover up his face like that, there's no point. Weird, he kind of looks like a ninja like... that... with the hands...!' "Kaito, don't!"

"Luka?"

"ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!"

"Gu. Gaaah!" Miku screamed, jolted up and hit her head. "My butt! Ahhhh! Why, Kaito? Whhhyyy!"

"Because I've always wanted to do that ever since I saw that episode! My dream has finally come true! All I need is some ice cream and I can die happy!" Kaito laughed evilly, satisfied with his actions.

Miku finished recovering from his 'ninja technique' and started slamming her fists on his chest. "You jerk! We're being hunted by a psyhco dead girl and you stab me in the butt?!"

"Yeah! Funny, right?"

"You're messed up! I thought Kaiko and IA said you were a total chicken when it came to scary stuff! Be scared like us!"

Though Kaito phobia of supernatural things scared him half to death, the chance to scare someone else or copy something he'd seen on t.v. always overrode it. "Not when I can do the ultimate ninja jutsu! That is worth dying for! They thought it was hilarious too, right guys?"

Kaito looked at Luka, only to see a look of disdain directed straight at him. "I've lost all respect for you." Kaito winced at her harsh words and turned to Neru for support. Neru was shaking her head in shame, not even bothering to respond to Kaito.

"Neru! Come on, you're suppose to side with me! Best buds, remember?" He didn't get so much of a glance from her. "I'll get you next! I'm still in ninja mode!"

Miku went around Kaito to try to get even, but Luka being carried on his back got in the way. "Luka get off and let me get him!"

"I can't. I hurt my leg, and I can't walk too well. It's not a good idea for me to get off if we need to run in a hurry."

"Oh well... I'll get both of you then!" "What the- no! Kaito! Turn, turn, turn!"

"OK! OK! Please stop pulling my hair! It hurts, WHY ARE YOU PULLING HARDER?! I'M MOVING, SEE!" Kaito ran in circles as Luka pulled his hair, Miku chased them with her the hand sign ready, and Neru laughed at the scene in front of her. 'Why do my plans always back fire?!' Kaito did what he had done to Miku mostly for his own amusement, but partly to lighten everyone up from their anxiety. He wanted everyone to resume their usual playful selves. Luka and Neru had such a gloomy atmosphere around them the entire time they had been searching for the others. When he saw Miku's face, the tear stains on her cheeks was enough evidence that she had been crying. He couldn't blame her, anyone would be considering what was happening.

They were separated from their friends, inside a school at night while it was thunder storming; to top it off what started off as an innocent prank could end in the death of them all as a mental ghost child hunted them like game. Suffice to say, it was amazing they weren't mentally breaking down. A distraction like this was better than nothing. 'If we do all end up dying, at least we had a little fun to remember in our final moments.' Kaito spun around and got poked in the stomach by Miku. "Uff! Can you stop that, we still need to find Meiko, you know?"

"Right! Right! We gotta find her quick, she's the only one left!"

"Yeah... I couldn't find her either... she's the only good hider he-"

"RUN!" Kaito, carrying Luka; Miku, and Neru sprinted out the door and raced down the hall. All around them, the sounds of multiple scissors sniping all around them. Turning the corner, Miku hadn't slow down enough, causing her to fall and tumble into the wall. "Miku!" Kaito turned back, slid across the floor on his knees next to Miku. He found that she had lost conciseness when her head hit the wall. "Crap! She's out cold!"

"What do we do?!" Luka asked.

"You'll have to hold on to me by yourself, I'll use my arms to carry her, ok?" Luka nodded, adjusting her arms around his neck to lessen the effort she'll need to put in to hold on.

"Guys hurry up, she's gaining on us!" Neru shouted. Kaito picked up Miku and caught up to Neru. They made another turn, going down the the staircase. Unfortunately, Neru missed a step going down, making her lose her footing, propelling herself down the stairs.

"Neru!" Kaito dived down without thinking. 'Shit, how am I going to catch her?! I got Luka on my back too... I got it!' Kaito pulled Luka's arms off of him and twisted his body around, acting as a cushion, having his back hit the wall when he landed, holding on to Miku and Luka. Neru soon followed, landing on top of the three of them. Kaito checked his three friends for any kind of injury. Neru had passed out.

Luka was the only other person that was still awake. "Kaito, are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've gotten hurt worse then this. Did the fall hurt you?"

"Not much, you cushioned the fall pretty well." The sniping sound grew louder and louder as foot steps could be heard at the top of the stairs. Luka looked up in that direction, but could only see a pair of scissors flung at her. It pierced the wall behind her, just a few inches to the left of her head. The terror of having a weapon hurled at you and almost hit you, made Luka faint.

"Luka! Luka!" The hooded girl giggled as she slowly descended down the stairs, making each step she took down echo with a *Clack* sound. 'She's getting closer, gotta move fast!'

In a struggle, Kaito managed to pull all three into his arms, and threw himself down the second set of stairs, using himself as a landing pad again. 'Ack! Ok, this one I felt! Focus, damn it! Ok, I can carry one in each arm, but what about the third? Errrgh! Think faster! Um, ah, ah, I'll just throw one over my shoulders and lean forward when I'm running. Yeah, that'll work! I just need to be careful so she doesn't fall off.' Kaito threw Luka over his shoulders, looped one arm around Neru's waist and the other around Miku's.

_"Stop running from me."_

He ran as steadily as he could, being careful not to have Luka slide off and fall. 'Seriously, do any of these girls eat? I'm surprised they don't float!' After a few turns, the door out of this hellish nightmare came into view. He closed the distance between them and the door in a matter of seconds. He kicked the door open so hard that it flew of the hinges. The heavy storm outside drowned out the constant giggling of the ghost girl that had been following them the entire time. Remembering his umbrella he left on the floor, he kicked it up, caught it with his mouth and safely made it out of the school.

* * *

Back at the clubroom, the ghost girl entered the room. Meiko was sitting in a chair next to the club's sound equipment. She held a microphone in one hand, and a remote in the other. "Hey, Rin! Great job out there. Did you remember to take pictures?"

Rin took off her hood, flashing the huge grin while holding up the stuffed animal. "You bet! Got in all in the teddy cam! Best. Prank. Ever!" Meiko and Rin laughed together at how well their plan had gone.

Meiko had orchestrated the entire thing with Rin. From helping Rin hid up into the ceiling, to the sound effects, the echoing voice, everything. Her and Rin had set up mini speakers all over the school, locked certain doors to prevent escape from anywhere else over than the front door, and programed the remote with prerecorded sentences and sounds. "You're coming along quite nicely, protégée! Soon, you'll be the next queen of pranks!"

"Thank you, sensei! Check out this picture! Kaito really got Miku good!" Rin took off the bears head and pulled out the camera stuffed inside it.

"Bwahahaha! I'll have to watch out for him, dude has no boundaries sometimes! Ahhh, alright, lets see if we can catch up with them." Meiko patted her yellow haired apprentice on the back and walked out the room. "You know what? As a reward, how bout I give you your first taste of sake? How's that sound?" She said, pulling out a mini bottle of sake from her pocket.

"Really? You'd really let me try something so grown up? You're the coolest mentor ever!"

"Yeah! I had my first taste at thirteen, it's like a rite of passage and you're way overdo!"

"Yay! Oh, but I gotta know, how'd you do that bloody hand trick on the door?" Rin asked.

Meiko laughed some more while slapping Rin harder on her back. "Nice try Rin! You're too much of a rookie to prank a hardened veteran like me! So, tell me how you did it."

Rin gave her a sincere look, clearing any further doubt Meiko would give her. "I'm serious, I didn't have anything to do with it! I thought we were a team! Come on, don't pull that stuff on me, you're suppose to teach me!"

"I'm serious too, Rin. I thought you just went down real quick and climbed back up on the other side." Both of them came to a halt when they felt like they stepped in something sticky. They both looked down to find more red handprints, trailing further down the hall, which turned into long messy streaks of red liquid, like something was being dragged. "Rin?"

"Wasn't me, wasn't me! Meiko, stop trying to scare me!"

"I'm not!"

"HELP ME!" Two hands shot out from the corner of the hall way, stained in blood. It dung it's fingernails on the floor, slowly returning back around the corner. "No! Please don't cut anymore o- GAAAH! AHAHAHA! I just want to go home!" Rin and Meiko continued to listen to the cries of agony and pleas of mercy until it came to an abrupt stop. Then two arms and a pair of legs flew and hit the wall hard.

At the sound of all the blood covered limbs smacking the wall, Rin and Meiko ran the other way. "She's real! Ahhhhhh!" They both screamed.

"... They're gone now." Said a voice that rounded the corner, belonging to none other than Gakupo.

Len followed soon after, with wet red hands. "Sweet! We actually got them! Thanks for helping, we finally did something fun together!"

Gakupo fiddled with wooden sword. He knew as far as mentor/mentee relationships went, his and Len's wasn't the most compatible. They were fine with each other, but they had almost nothing in common. Gakupo didn't care for Len's idea to frighten his sister when he overheard her on the phone talking to Meiko. He was more concerned with the fact that they were trespassing on school property after hours. So, instead of rounding them all up and scolding them, he found it more effective to make them feel fear rather then them brushing off his lecture, plus it compromised with Len's desires.

Unfortunately, he now had to clean up the mess they made in the process. Putting the anatomical model back together wouldn't be much of a problem, but cleaning the red paint off of it, the floors, door windows, and their hands would be hassle. "Now it's time to clean this up. Go grab some supplies from the janitors closet, I'll start the putting the model back together."

Len frowned at that. "And the funs over. Hope a ghost doesn't get me on the way there."

"Don't tell me you actually believe in ghosts. Ghost are just stupid, made u-"

A scythe came crashing down, cracking the floor around it. "Who are you calling stupid." Gakupo and Len stared wide eyed at the person who had struck the weapon into the ground. One glance at him and they knew immediately who it was. He was a dead ringer for the description of Big Al after he had died, and the scythe was the biggest give away. Not even bothering to question if it was real or not, Gakupo and Len bolted down the hall, both as pale as snow. "Bout time everyone left. Go grab what you need and let's go. Some old dude across town gonna kick the bucket any second."

A small figure wearing a red and black hoodie skipped out from behind him an went into the classroom. "Not my fault. They made my friends leg fall off, now I got to get the new one." She came out with the cut off leg and sewed in on the bear she had. "All done Big Al!"

"Good, let's hurry. Remember to look away and cover you're ears." He told her as he hoisted her on his shoulder. "Gotcha! I'm gonna be a good girl! No more bad stuff!"

* * *

Luka slowly opened her eyes, her vision slowly cleared up, showing Kaito holding an umbrella over her. He was soaked head to toe, and he was missing his jacket, leaving him in a drenched blue tank top. She looked to the left and right of her. Miku and Neru were both still asleep, and all three of them were covered by his coat to keep them warm from the small winds that were blowing. She found that she was laying against the tree across the school. "Finally, you woke up. I was worried about you."

Luka sat up straight. "Kaito? What happened?"

"We made it out alive. When I got us outside, I looked back at the school. The ghost just stood at the door for a while before heading back inside. I guess it knows someone's coming back."

"What? No way, that's crazy. We all just barely surv- Meiko! We forgot Meiko!"

"Yep. So, I don't have much a choice. I'm glad you're awake. When everyone wakes up, walk them back home. I'll make sure Meiko comes home." Kaito placed the umbrella in her hand.

"Wait, let me come! Going alone isn't safe!"

"And a bad leg is even worse." Kaito poked her bad leg on the shin area, making Luka wince.

"Fine, I get the picture. Promise you'll come back safe, okay?"

Kaito didn't answer her. "Hey, you said you really like Kaiko, right?"

"Kaito, don't ignore me."

"Do you like IA too?"

"Yes I do, but promise me-"

"So if I was gone, would you look after them for me?" Luka didn't want to answer him. She could tell that he felt like he wouldn't be lucky enough to escape again. Odds were, Kaito would end up sacrificing himself to help Meiko escape.

Reluctantly, she nodded. "That's great. I'm going now. I'll get Meiko back to everyone."

"Kaito! You're sister told us how scared you are of supernatural things, so why? Why aren't you acting like you scared? Why?"

Kaito ran a hand through his wet hair and sighed. "I was. Then I remembered about you guys. It didn't matter that I was scared, cause, you know... I had to make sure you're all safe. I can't not go knowing... you know..." Kaito didn't want to admit to Luka that he saw them all as close friends of his, but the sad yet curious look on her face made him blush and force out his answer. "...All of you are really good friends. So I don't know how I can be scared my friends are in trouble, I just gotta make sure you're all alright." Kaito stood up and turned away from her.

Luka felt a pit form in her stomach. It grew more and more as her sadness increased. She felt like she was saying goodbye. "Kaito... we all think you're a good friend of ours too. So please come back." Luka wished she wasn't holding the umbrella anymore, the rain could hide the tears that were dropping from her eyes, so she hung her head low instead.

"Thanks. It make's me pretty happy knowing tha- What the hell." Luka looked up, wondering why Kaito would say that out if the blue, and with that tone of voice. She soon found her answer as she saw Meiko and Rin, who was wearing exactly what the ghost was wearing, without the hood on this time; Dash to and past them, screaming at the top of their lungs. Not too long after, she found it even stranger that Gakupo, and Len went by next, with his hands colored red.

"... I'll fucking kill them." They both said in unison.

* * *

"I don't know, I think it was pretty good if you ask me. Are you two gonna look pissed all night?" Miku asked.

"Yes." Luka and Kaito droned out. They absolutely despised Meiko, Rin, Len, and Gakupo. They weren't too sure on the details, but they knew that those four had screwed with them all night, and they would give them hell for it later. Well, Rin and Len were safe from their rage. When they dropped Neru off at her house, the twins screams could be heard from a block away. Safe to say, Neru was handling it. Kaito was still caring Luka on his back, not wanting her to struggle walking home, and she held her umbrella over them.

Finally arriving at Miku's house, Luka got off of Kaito and leaned to Miku for support. "So you're sleeping over at Miku's tonight?"

"Yeah, I was planning to from the start."

"That's good, Miku can help heal your leg. I'll see you guys later then." Kaito waved, opened his umbrella, and walked off.

Miku and Luka went inside, not even bothering to tell Miku's parents they had returned, headed straight to her room, and laid down on the bed. "I'm so tired! Luka! Tonight was crazy, I really thought I was gonna die! Rin is a really good actor. It's kinda silly that we fell for it, but today was really fun."

"Maybe for you; You didn't get scissors hurled at your face."

"What!? When'd that happen?"

"After you smacked into the wall."

Miku buried her face in her pillow. "Can we forget about that part? You know, I'm happy Kaito was there. I was real scared, all alone in a dark classroom. I couldn't stop thinking about bad things happening to everyone. I was too scared to move from that spot. Every time I thought about getting up, I chickened out and kept hoping the ghost wouldn't find me. When he Kakashi'd me, my heart almost exploded, but I felt really relieved after that. He was being so fricken crazy doing something like that and I think that's just what I needed back there. Do I sound weird?" Miku asked.

Luka shook her head. "No, not at all. You taking things seriously is not you at all. It's better when you're playing around all the time, it's fits you. Actually, I'm glad he was there too."

Miku lifted her head from her pillow. "Really? Heh, I remember before when you didn't like standing near him too long."

"Well... things change. God, I felt so guilty when we left him back there. I can't believe we just forgot about him like that. Thankfully, none it was real or else I'd feel like complete scum. Even though he acted like a total wuss at the beginning, Kaito ended up being the one who took care of us and got us out safe. He even kept us warm and dry from the rain. For once, even if it was only for a moment, he was..."

Miku rolled over, gazing at her ceiling with starry eyes. "Mature."

"Yeah... who knew he could."

* * *

Kaito walked back in his house, tossing his umbrella to the side. He'd expected his sister to sack him on entry, whining about leaving her at night. Instead, it was dead silent. For a second, he actually thought Kaiko was growing up, not waiting all night to go to bed until he comes home. Then he remembered that if she wasn't here, odds were she was already sleeping in his bed. Before he could move, Kaito saw a head of pink hair peering from the hallway. "Kaito? Kaito! You're back! Kaiko, he's back!"

"Oni-chan!" IA and Kaiko ran toward Kaito, wrapping themselves around his waist.

"Okay, I know why Kaiko's hugging me, but what's up with you? What happened while I was gone?" Both girls stared at their feet.

After a short moment of silence, IA finally mumbled out at response. "We... did something we shouldn't have. We're sorry."

"And you did what exactly...?"

"We... we... went under you're bed and went through your special stuff and... we ended up taking _that_ movie."

Kaito imaged himself being struck by lightning as punishment for keeping that god forsaken disc within human reach. "Why. Why would you two take that!? I told you never to watch that! You saw the news reports with me, what would've happened if you two got a heart attack!? You're lucky that was the watered down version or you would have died! And what were you two doing going through my stuff!?"

Kaiko tightened her grip around her brother. "Sorry, oni-chan! IA said that if I watched something that scary that it'd scare all scarediness in me away! It didn't work though!"

Kaito looked to IA and gave her a disappointing stare. "You just wanted to watch the movie _and_ Kaiko freak out, didn't you? You're terrible, this is what you get you horror flick addict. I can't believe thought you could handle it."

Out of all the horror movies out there, 'Living in a manmade hell' was the only one in the history of movies to be banned from ever being played again only after a week of it's release. Too many people who watched it died from heart attacks. The majority that made it through that twelve hour mind breaker ended up having nightmares for the rest of their lives, or they ended up committing suicide. Kaito managed to acquire a pirated copy with most of the scenes edited out to not scar someone for life, but even hardcore horror movie fans would have a hard time finishing a movie like this, even with it being softened up.

"I'm sorry. C-can I stay here for tonight? P-p-please?" IA begged.

Kaito rubbed the top of IA's head lovingly, soothing her anxious mind. "Sure. I'm bet that movie wasn't easy to sit through. How far did you get?"

"About an hour." The small pinkette answered. Kaito winced at that. 'Maybe I should pass on watching it. Bad impulse buy, but I just had to get it. Maybe I should force Meiko to watch it, then well be even.'

"Oni-chan, why are you so wet?" Kaiko asked, strangely enough still clinging on to him.

"It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you tomorrow, k?"

* * *

After taking a shower to wash off all the dirty rain water, Kaito was in bed with his 'two' younger siblings. Kaiko, being his actaul blood sister and more openly affectionate one, placed most of her body on top of his chest, snuggling him.

IA, being more reserved then Kaiko, opted to lay by his side, her back facing him. "Kaito?"

"Go to sleep. I promise you're safe with me. Look, Kaiko's already passed out." Kaito droned out, rubbing the top of IA's head.

In response, she inched closer to him till her back made contact with his body. "I-I just want to say thanks for letting me sleep with you too, even though it's kinda weird."

"I don't see what's so weird about a girl sleeping with her big bro."

IA was glad he couldn't see her blush. "But only Kaiko has a one. Kaito?" IA twisted her head around, finding Kaito slumbering peacefully. Knowing that she couldn't continue talking to him, IA copied him and fell asleep.

'She didn't get the hint? Is my denseness infecting her? Eh, whatever.'

* * *

An hour later... "Achoo!" Went the blue haired boy. 'Random.' "Achoo!" 'Who the heck would be talking about me at this time? Kinda warm in here, wonder if they feel a little hot too?' Another sneeze forced itself out of Kaito. 'It must be mom! Yep, that's it! Must be daytime where she's working, telling everyone about her kids she loves so much! Can't be anything else! Why is it so hot in here!?' One more sneeze slipped out of Kaito, sending his mind into a frenzy of denial. 'Nonononononono! This is not happening now! I took a shower and everything! I should be safe!'

Then, an onslaught of coughs came on, stirring IA and Kaiko from their slumber. "Oni-chaaan... noisy... why are you making noise?"

"*Yawn* Kaito? What are you doing?"

Kaito ceased his coughing, holding back the rest from coming out. "Nothing! That was just- Mmm! Mmm!" Kaito leaped out of his bed covering his mouth, almost causing his sisters to fall of the bed. He reached for the knob of his door, but instead he collapsed on the floor, spewing out all the contents of his stomach.

"Oni-chan!"

"Kaito!"

Kaiko and IA rushed to his side. "Oni-chan, why didn't you tell us you got sick!?" Kaiko shook her brother vigorously, hoping to get some response back. All she received was heavy breathing and raspy coughs.

"I knew that shower wasn't enough you lair! Kaiko, get Kaito back in bed, I'll go get medicine and make cold wet towels!" Kaiko nodded at IA, dragging her brother back to his bed while she retrieved medicine.

Once she pulled Kaito onto his bed, she felt his fore head. It felt like heat radiating off a light bulb. "No... I don't like it when your sick... I don't want you to get sick... I don't want you to leave me... like daddy... Oni-chan..." Kaiko buried her face in his chest, softly whimpering her sorrows.

* * *

**Probably not the best horror writer, but I'll improve on that another time. As for the next chapter's name it's: Temptation. I'll let you all think why I'd name it that.**

**Thanks to:**

**-MegurineKaiko**

**For reviewing! Xen out!**


	8. Temptation

"I hate being stuck here." Luka sighed to herself. It'd had been two days since her little group outing and she'd been trapped inside her house when she came back the following day. Why, you ask? Her father; what other reason? She was prohibited to leave the house yesterday, doing nothing but cleaning and various other things her father forced her to do. And as always, she mindlessly did what she was told by him. Not like she had a choice, it was her way of staying safe which worked flawlessly. She flipped open her phone and checked the time.

'Finally! It's three!' She hopped off her bed and adjusted her clothes. She'd been waiting all morning for it to be three. That was the time her father left the house to go get drunk at the local bars, making it the perfect time to leave the house. The only obstacle left would be her sister, Lily, if she was home today. Luckily she had work, so Luka could leave without worry.

"Meow."

Luka looked over to the small hole in the corner of the room. The neighborhood cat had stopped by. "Sorry little guy, I'll pet you some other time."

"Meow." The cat retreated back into his hole.

Luka made her way through her house and to the front door. Her body became paralyzed when she heard glass shatter behind her. Her self defense mechanism took over as she turned around to face her father's drunken violent state, but instead saw the cat sitting on top of the couch. Below it, shattered remains of a bottle. 'Oh thank god.' "Naughty kitty, you scared me there. Now I have to clean that up before I go."

* * *

Luka stood in front of Kaito's house, pausing before knocking. She felt strange going over to Kaito's house to visit him. She never did before, and she was dropping by unexpected. The pinkette wasn't even to sure why she wanted to drop by so badly. To talk? About what, she hadn't a clue. She could say she stopped by just to tell him that her leg was back to normal, but it seemed usual when she could just text him or call him. Well, Luka did have a legitimate reason not to do that. All of her minutes and texts were bought prepaid with what little money she had, so she made sure to use them as little as possible. Luka thought he'd be worried about her condition, so informing him would be the natural course of action. 'He'd want to know, right?'

_"__If I carry you the entire time, I don't have to worry about something happening to you. Now get on, I want you on my back, where it's safe."_

Luka smiled to herself, feeling some heat grow in her cheeks. 'Yeah, he would. He's a nice guy like that.' The pinkette tried to knock on the door again, but her stomach's growling stopped her in her tracks. 'I should have stopped at Miku's for something to eat, I haven't had anything since yesterday morning.'

Before Luka's mind came up with more things to stall with, the door opened, revealing Neru on the other side. "Luka! How are you? I haven't seen you since our school scare. Did you come to see Kaiko?"

"Oh I'm fine, just came by to talk Kaito real quick."

"Ahh, I was hoping you weren't." Luka gave Neru an offended, questioning look. Neru immediately responded back, realizing the way that sounded. "No, no, no! I didn't mean it in a bad way! It's just that Kaito isn't exactly in tip top shape right now, and it's kinda difficult for him to do anything without making a problem."

Luka gave a worried expression. "What's wrong with Kaito?"

"Well, you can see for yourself when you talk to him. I gotta head home now, I'm watching Rin and Len while my parents go out... but before I go... could I, um..." 'Spit it out already! Kaito will do something stupid if I don't ask it now!' "Get your number for my phone? I-In case I need to reach you or something!"

Luka took out her pink phone and began the wireless phone exchange feature. "Sure! Just don't call or text me too much, my phone works on prepaid minutes." Elated at her response, Neru nodded quickly and set up her phone to sync to Luka's.

"Thanks, see you later!" Neru scurried back to her house. Happy to have another contact on her phone.

Though the door was opened, Luka still knocked to be courteous. "If Kaito called you to help him escape, please don't!" Yelled IA from inside the kitchen.

"Um, he didn't? I came by just to talk with him. Is it okay?"

IA came out wearing a apron and carrying a ladle. "Luka? Kaito didn't call you over? That's good, Neru came here to get him without knowing why. He causes even more trouble when he's sick. Has to be full on big brother mode whenever we try to take care of him. He doesn't want us to worry, but that makes us worry more when he pushing himself too much."

Luka felt letdown that she might not be able to see Kaito after coming all this way. "Exactly how bad of a state is he? Should I come back another time?" .

"Oh no, you can go see him, just... don't let Kaito get out of bed, and be a little more patient with Kaiko. She's a little... possessive of him right now." Luka nodded in compliance. "I gotta finish up lunch; His room is around the corner there, third door on the right." She said quickly before retreating into the kitchen.

Luka followed her direction and made it to Kaito's bedroom door. Being polite as always, she knocked before entering. She walked in figuring Kaito wouldn't get out of the bed to get the door, considering how notoriously lazy he is. Upon opening the door, the pinkette saw Kaito covered up to his neck with four bed sheets, and a cold pack on his forehead. "Hey, Luka. Glad you came by, I'm been bored staying in bed. Neru just left me and I couldn't escape. If you came by for something, I'd be more than happy to help you. Did you need anything?"

'He's acting way too... polite. What's going on here? Kaito usually sounds way more casual then this.' "Are you feeling ok? IA mentioned you're sick." She asked suspiciously.

"What? Me? No, I'm in great condition. She's worried over nothing, see?" Kaito sat up, only to fall back down, the rush of blood from his head made him to woozily. "Whose playing with the lights? Everything looks messed up." Kaito said in a shaky voice.

Then Kaiko groggily popped out from under the covers. "Ehhh... Oni-chan! Stop moving, stay in bed! You're gonna make yourself throw up again! There was a little bit of blood in the last one! It scares me, why'd you move when the medicine's not ready?" Kaiko scanned the room, discovering Luka's presence. Luka waved, but immediately put it down when she saw Kaiko glaring at her.

It was astonishing to say the least, that Kaiko could glare at someone like that, and with no indication as to why she was doing it in the first place. "H-"

"Go away! Go away! Go away! Go! A! Way!" Kaiko screamed, grabbing the covers and covering herself with Kaito, hiding behind her brother.

"I'm... sorry? What did I do?" Luka asked.

Kaito tilted his head over to her and gave her a faint smile. "Nothing at all. Kaiko, apologize."

"I don't want to. Go away, oni-chan doesn't have time for you!" Kaiko screamed from under the covers.

"Don't mind her, you can grab that chair over and sit if you want."

Luka took his suggestion and the chair away from his computer desk and sat down near the his bed. "So Kaito-"

"I said go away! Oni-chan doesn't want to spend time with you!" Kaiko screeched back.

Luka had enough of Kaiko's foul attitude toward her. She been screamed and glared at since she walked in, and she wasn't going to let Kaiko act so rude, regardless of what the reason was. "That is enough out of you! Show some respect! I don't care whatever reason you're acting lie this, but nothing can give you the right to treat others like this!" Luka yelled back at her.

"You're bothering oni-chan! He-" Kaiko cease her shouting when Kaito placed a hand over her mouth.

In a soft, almost inaudible voice. "Kaiko. Apologize now. If you don't, I won't take my medicine later."

Kaiko hung her head low, submitting to her brother's threat. "Sorry." She murmured.

Silence filled the room. Only Kaito had an excuse not to speak since he was ill. As for Luka, she didn't want to speak, out of the chance that Kaiko might throw another rage fit. It came to the point that speaking seemed almost impossible. Luckily, IA came in, completely unaware of what just happened, and broke the veil of silence covering the room. "Kaiko! The pharmacy called, let's go get the medicine."

Kaiko jumped out of bed and ran toward the door. Before leaving, she turned around and screamed at Luka one more time. "Oni-chan only needs me!" And slammed the door shut.

As soon as Kaito's breathing settled down, he resumed speaking. "Sorry about that, she's just a little scared."

"Of what exactly?"

"Losing me. Our dad died while he was sick too. His genes are terrible when it comes a simple flu like this. We can't stop throwing up, even if we haven't eaten anything. We're light headed twenty-four seven. I sleep for two hours at best, and I feel like it's a hundred degrees in here all day, but I still have to stay wrapped up like this. I'm kinda getting off track aren't I? Point is, if someone you loved more than anyone in the world might die and there was a chance that this time was the last you could ever spend time with them, wouldn't you want it to be with you?" Luka jumped a bit at that last sentence.

It was something she could relate to, not on the complete same level, but somewhat similarly. 'Lily...' "W-wait! You're going to die!? You were fine j-"

Kaito chuckled softly, making Luka give him a dumbfounded expression. "I'll be fine. I've been sick three times before. It's not something that can kill you, it's only fiercer for me than when normal people get sick."

Luka exhaled in relief. "Say that first next time, that really worried me. Hold on a second, why'd your dad die if it's not fatal?"

"... I never said he died from it, only that he died while sick."

"...oh..." Though he answered, Kaito left Luka only more clueless.

"I'm going to tell you something. This... can't ever reach Kaiko's ears, no matter what. Understand?" Luka nodded slowly in response. "Back then, when we were really little, Kaiko was treated like a princess by my dad. Every day, he would shower her with attention. It didn't matter if he was spoiling her too much, she was the little angel of the house. He'd ask me and mom all the time to help him give Kaiko whatever she wanted. I didn't blame him, and neither did mom. Who could resist such a cute, innocent face like that. But then the day came that dad got sick. He wasn't suppose move from bed, so he couldn't play with Kaiko. Mom kept telling her that dad couldn't play today, but she didn't understand. All she wanted to do was have him take her to the park. So Kaiko decided to go by herself. I was sitting on the steps to my house outside, eating my ice cream when I saw Kaiko run by. Next thing I knew, dad ran past me next. Then it happened. A car was going to hit my sister. It was a good thing my dad was well enough to chase after, he jumped in and grabbed her into his arms, taking the hit for her. Kaiko came out unharmed, she just passed out. Dad, he... got it worse. He didn't die on impact. The medic's say he died a few ground bounces after the impact. At some point his neck snapped when he hit the ground wrong. Even so, he still held Kaiko close. Kaiko was too young to remember, so when she got older, she use to ask why dad wasn't around I'd say he died while he was sick; which is true, it's just not the cause. Then she'd cry all the time, saying she wants to meet dad, spend time with him and why all the other kids got to have a dad and not her. If she ever found out the real reason why, she might fall into depression. Then mom had to get a job so she could raise us, and the only one that could pay all the bills and she could get was overseas. So everyday, I'd cheer her up by picking her up from school, telling her that no other kid here got their big brother to pick them up from school and get ice cream, and that fact made her more special then every other kid. It made her real happy. I told her that spending time with the people you care about is the most important thing in life, so she gets a bit 'jealous' when she doesn't get all my attention when I'm like this. So for today, please forgive her for anything she does today."

'I never knew Kaiko went through something like that, and she still turned out so cheerful. I couldn't imagine how she'd take it if she ever found this out. At least she had someone to help her through the pain. Just like Miku did for me.'

Luka didn't have the best childhood, but when she met Miku, everything was a little more bearable from then on. If Kaiko wanted to act a little absurd today, she was fine with it. Everyone has a right to be unreasonable every once and a while, especially when it helps them cope; for a short while anyway. "I don't see why not, she still behaves better you do." Luka smirked at him, and Kaito replied with his grin.

"What can I say? My life's profession has been trouble maker ever since I got banished from school." That sentence spiked interest in Luka. She and the others always wondered why Kaito was homeschooled in the first place. They wanted to ask, but a good opportunity never came. Plus, if it was to personal, odds are that Kaito wouldn't answer or give a half assed one that left you with more questions than answers.

Hesitantly, she asked. "Re-really? When did that happen? And what did you do to get expelled?"

"When I was six I think. Kaiko came to me crying, saying a group of five-ish kids were bullying her, so I beat them so bad that they wouldn't get within fifteen feet of her anymore. A couple broken bones, black eyes, dislocated shoulders, and a few dozen teeth got the message across real well. But I got kicked out because of that; too violent to have around. Funny though, I got to do whatever I wanted to all day for like ten years so I made out pretty well. Maybe I should get expelled again!" Kaito said nonchalantly as he chuckled, finding it humorous and lucky to get kicked out of school as punishment, only to live every little kids dream to do whatever they wanted all day.

Luka, on the other hand, jaw dropped at hearing this. She couldn't fathom Meiko's current favorite punching bag as someone who could do that to other person, or even strong enough to fight off that many kids. Then she remembered it was possible. She had completely forgotten about the fight with Gakupo. He was more than capable of it, but with the way he usually is, it's easily forgettable that Kaito is, in fact, a very tough fighter. Like usual, his answers always left her wanting to know more. But Luka would only ask so much at once, not wanting to be rude. Still, the feeling of wanting to know more about Kaito bugged her. 'Why do you have to be so you?' "So who homeschooled you? You said your mom works overseas, so who did that?"

"None one really. I mean, occasionally Leia or Kaiko would tutor me, but other than that I pretty much goofed of all day. Too bad I couldn't keep doing that, but you can only walk around town during school time for so many years before people start asking 'why isn't that kid at school?'; It was a good run though."

"Did you say Kaiko?"

"Yep."

"Kaiko."

"Yes."

"Your little sister."

"Yeah."

"Blue hair, year younger than you, adores 'oni-chan' more than anyone, that Kaiko?"

"Is there a problem with that or something?"

Luka crossed her legs, started think aloud. "So that's why your so terrible at school work. This explains a lot actually. No wonder you so dumb. No proper schooling whatsoever."

Kaito scratched his nose awkwardly. "Ouch. It's not that, I'm just unteachable. I doubt anyone could have done better than Kaiko."

"You sure about that? Kaiko doesn't seem to be the most studious kid out there." Luka said, careful not to come across as insulting his sister.

"Doesn't matter if she studies or not, she's never gotten anything less than perfect score on any kind of test she's ever taken. Didn't you know that?"

"...aaa..."

"Yeah, she takes more after mom. They're both super smart. Haven't you seen any of her test scores?"

* * *

After that shocking revelation, both teens went back to there usual routine of small talk. Kaito was enjoying his new company, it was refreshing to talk to someone else other than his sister Occasionally, Kaito would cough and hack, but nothing too serious happened. More than half an hour passed with them just talking. "Yeah, I won't be around as much. My summer job starts tomorrow, and it's shift time is really weird." Luka told him.

Kaito was feeling well enough to sit up, but still feeling slight waves of nausea. "Well that sucks, I was kinda looking for to having summer plans like all the other kids with everyone. What kind of job is it anyway?"

Luka averted her eyes from him. "Ah, it's nothing. Just a normal summer job like every teen does."

"I'm gonna find out now, I hope you realize that. One way or the other, I'll find out." Kaito taunted.

Luka started blushing madly and started shouting. "It's just a boring job! You'd be wasting your time, it's so lame!"

"Mmm, nah. Still gonna find out. If I get bored, I'll want to come bother you and be obnoxious. Oh, I just realized, I don't even know why you stopped by today. Is there something you wanted?" Before Luka could answer, Kaiko came rushing through the room with a brown paper bag in her hand, and jumped on her brother's bed.

"Oni-chan! I got it! Here, take it!"

IA walked in with a glass in one hand and a cold pack in the other. IA placed the water down next to him and replaced the cold pack on his head with hers. "Kaiko, he needs to drink it with water too, don't rush it. And Kaito, we told you to lay down."

Kaito rubbed the back of his head, slightly ashamed about being scolded by someone younger than him. "Sorry, you're right. I apologize. I'll take my meds now and rest, ok?"

IA gave him a small frown and stared. He did seem genuinely sorry, so decided to let him off easy this time. "As long as you understand this time. Luka, would you like to join us for lunch? I made more than enough."

Luka didn't want to impose, but after tasting IA's cooking once, the urge to consume such delectable food compelled her to nod. Her tongue tingled at the mear memory of what it tasted like. 'Maybe I should steal her and make her my personal chef.'

* * *

At the dinner table, IA, Kaiko and Luka all ate their food in a silent, awkward atmosphere. IA would try to get a conversation going, but Kaiko just picked at the food in front of her, refusing to speak. Luka wanted to talk, but she thought that speaking was the one thing keeping Kaiko from throwing a tantrum at her. Once Luka finished her meal, she thought excusing herself would be the bet course of action. As much as she'd like to stick around a little more, leaving would most likely put Kaiko in a better state. Plus, it gave Kaito more time to rest. "Thank you for the meal. I need to get going now, so I'll-"

Kaiko leaped from her seat and wrapped her arms around Luka's legs. "Waaaah! Luka-senpai, I'm sorry! *sniff* I'm sorry, I didn't want to share oni-chan! I'm sorry! Please don't leave hating me forever! I'm *Hic* *sniff* sworry! Bwaaahhh!"

To say the least, the situation took a shocking turn. Luka didn't think Kaiko would have such a drastic change in attitude, yet here she was, literally groveling at her feet. "It's ok! I not mad at all! See? I'm smiling! So you can stop crying now! Alls forgiven! I could never stay made at you, you're too adorable!"

Luka said frantically, trying to clam Kaiko down. Normally, she'd tell the blue haired girl not to call her senpai, but she let it slide just for today. Kaiko looked up, teary eyed from her crying. "Really?"

Luka nodded. "Really. It's a rough time for you, I understand. Kaito said he always gets better, is that true?" She said as she got down on one knee. Kaiko nodded. "Then he'll be fine. He cares about you way too much to leave you behind."

"Aww, isn't that sweet? Earning major friendship points being nice to the little sister. I'll rank you up to trusted family friend. Neru's ranked first though, as best friend. You might catch up to Miku soon, she's ranked friend in crime." Everyone turned their head to the source of sound. Kaito had his arms crossed, leaning on the kitchen doorway.

"Kaito!?"

"Kaito, I said stay in bed!"

"Oni-chaaan!" Kaiko released Luka's leg and rushed to her brothers side, hugging him tight around his waist. "You're feeling better?! Right!? Cause you're up!"

Kaito chuckled, rubbing the top of his sisters head. "Sort of. I mean, I can walk now without falling over. Gotta love that medicine, fast acting and strong. I should still stick to bread and water, though. It's not magic."

"Yay! Let's watch more anime together! I'll go get my dvd's!" Kaiko rushed off to her room to retrieve her volumes of dvds. "Excuse me. Kaiko, we shouldn't be pushing him to hard! He needs more rest!" IA yelled as she chased after Kaiko.

That left Kaito and Luka alone in the kitchen. Luka stood up and brushed off her skirt. "So I see you're doing a lot better now."

"Yeah, pretty good stuff they gave me. By the way, you never did get to tell me why you stopped by. So what was it?" Though Luka finally got the chance to tell him, at this point she started to realize her reason was a little silly, even pointless. He could clearly see that she could walk just fine now. She decided to pretend she forgot about it and be on her way.

"Actually, I forgot why. Probably wasn't too important if I forgot it that easily. Well, I'll see you later." Luka walked past Kaito, giving him a quick wave.

"Alright then, see ya. Oi, Luka! I just remembered something."

Luka stop in front of the couch she was passing and turned around. "What?"

Kaito walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't struggle too much."

"W-what?" Kaito pushed Luka down onto the couch, leaning over and whispered into her ear. "If this hurts, I'm sorry. Don't move." Her face reddened from the his breath against her ear and the close proximity of their faces. Luka had no idea what Kaito was thinking, but the sudden action made brain unable to think of anyway to react. Slowly, Kaito retracted his head and went down to Luka's lower body. He grabbed the silt of her skirt, and pulled it, revealing more of her left leg.

"W-w-what do you think you're doing!? Luka tried to force Kaito off her, but her grabbed both her wrists with his left hand.

"I knew you'd try to resist. This is why I didn't bother asking. I might not gotten as far." Kaito said with a serious expression.

Luka's face soon matched the color of her hair, her embarrassment skyrocketed to new levels it had never been to before. "No, K-kaito, stop! I-I don't want this!"

"I know."

Luka shut her eyes and prepared for the worst. She never imaged Kaito would do something like this to her. Yes, he messed with others in many ways, but she didn't think he was this kind of person. She wanted the old Kaito back. The goofy, silly, good nature, though somewhat mishevious Kaito. The one she's didn't want the one on from of her. She waited for whatever perverted thing he would do to her, but her eyes shot open when she felt what he was doing. Kaito was simply tapping up and down her shin, a little hard, but nothing else. Luka looked to check. Kaito eyes were already locked on to her, waiting for any kind of change of expression.

"Looks like you're leg is fine. You know, I was kinda of worried about that. Good to see you're alright." Kaito released Luka from his grip, stood up and held his hand out for her.

Luka grabbed his hand and lifted herself up from the couch with his assistance. "Kaito?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

Without warning Luka smacked the back of his head as hard as she could, causing a large smacking sound to echo throughout the house. "Don't do that again!" Luka shouted; She began blowing on her hand, trying to lessen the stinging sensation pulsing throughout her hand.

"! Ah! That actually hurt! Since when can you hit hard? I think you hurt yourself more in the process though. And what I do wrong?" Kaito asked as he rubbed the assaulted area of his head.

"Throwing me on a couch and holding me down, that! You think you can pull stunts like that and not get smacked!?"

"Not like I had many other options. You'd just say you're fine if I asked. And if I asked to check, you won't let me get near you. Besides, I did this all the time with IA when she was younger. Whenever she got scraps or hurt, she'd always try to hide it. I always had to hold her down so I could check it. She resisted just like you."

'That's probably how she grew a crush on you, baka.' "Whatever, just don't do that again."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Sure, better you think I won't do it again, it makes it easier to catch you off guard."

Luka gave him an annoyed look. "Just can't stop being a smartass, can you?" Kaito simply shrugged his shoulders in response. Luka turned her face away from him and put her hand over her mouth. "Still... thank you. For caring when you don't need to."

Kaito twisted her head to him and flicked her forehead. Luka winced; she was about to yell at Kaito, but then he started speaking. "We're friends, don't ever say I don't need to care about you. I want to and I will. Got it?" Luka slowly nodded, a slight blush apparent on her face. "Good. Hey, when you have a day off, let's call up everybody and hang out."

"S-sounds good. See you later." Luka waved for the final time, and left the Shion residence, with a small smile etched on her face. 'So he was worried... baka.'

Once that door shut, Kaito collapsed on the couch, breathing heavily. 'Damn, that was tiring. Great, now my dizzy spells are coming back. At least I lasted long enough till she left. Now I just got to make it through an anime marathon with my sister. Hopefully it's not a long boring one.' "Oni-chan! IA's picking Clanlad!" Kaiko yelled down the hall. 'Ugggghhhhh! Whyyyyy?!'

* * *

A few days later...

Walking through downtown at night, Kaito(School uniform *Parka) and Miku(Solitude) had spent the entire day hanging out, going to various places to do window shopping. Miku wrapped her arms around Kaito's arm and held on tightly, pressing her chest against it. You think is would have an some sort of effect on Kaito, but he had gotten to used to it. Kaiko, his sister, and IA, who he regarded as a real sister, did this all the time when they went window shopping. He just assumed that all girls did that when they went shopping with a guy. He looked around, seeing multiple pairs walking around in a similar fashion. "So why do girls always walk with guys like this? Do you girls get lost easily or is it so we don't wander off and get lost?"

Miku shrugged nonchalantly. "No reason. It's just something that is, so roll with it."

"Fair enough."

"By the waaay... Do you _feel_ anything? Anything that all?" Miku gave his arm a small squeeze, blushing slightly from her bold actions.

"Yeah, for a while now."

"Really!? Geez, m-mention it s-sooner! I would have eased up."

"Well I'm always hungry for ice cream, so I didn't think you'd want to hear me again."

Miku gripped Kaito's arm and twisted hard. "That's all?!"

"Ah! Miku, that hurts! Stop! Stop!"

Miku ceased her death drip, pouting. 'Bet if I had a chest like Meiko or Luka's...' "Kaito, you just don't notice the... slightly smaller things. Just what does get your attention?"

"I don't know what I missed, but trust me, I notice the things you do. Its impossible not to, like this morning!"

* * *

_Flash back..._

_"?...! OOAAHH! Gah! Crap!" Kaito fell off his bed, gripping his butt in pain. He sat up and looked around, looking for the assaulter of his rectum. On the other side of his bed, Miku stood there with a form hand sign, and Kaito's scarf wrapped around the lower part of her face. "Nin, nin! I have avenged myself." "Hey! What are you doing with my scarf?! Give it! And what the heck!? It's only eleven!" _

_End of flash back..._

* * *

"Hehe, told you I'd get even. Didn't know you were sick before though, I could of stopped by and played nurse. I happen to be a great nurser of sorts!" Miku exclaimed proudly.

"Pass. Last time I checked, I wasn't a forty year old man in need of a prostate exam."

"Well, boo."

"Are we almost there? We got to sneak in through the second floor right?"

"Yep, yep! There, that building right there! That's the one!" Across the street was a large, three story building. The outside walls were flooded with neon signs; the entrance had two extremely burly men, the golden glowing lights behind them made it seem like they were protecting a room full of gold.

Kaito and Miku made their way over there, careful to not catch the guards notice of them going to the side of the building. Kaito got on top of a trash can, and Miku climbed on top of him and stood on his shoulders. Once she got a good grip on the open window, she pulled herself in and held her hand out to Kaito. Kaito reached for hers, and Miku pulled him in. Once inside, Kaito noticed that the room he was in had to be a dressing room. There were lots of women's clothes scattered around the room, and mirrors everywhere. Kaito was relieved that none of them were here. He could only imagine how they'd badly he'd be beaten if they were in the middle of changing. He looked over to Miku, who had just placed a bento box on a desk.

"Part one of mission: Deliver the lunch my mom made for Luka, complete!" Miku cheered.

"Well done, Miku! Now it's time for part two! Annoy Luka at her job, whatever that job is!" Miku and Kaito exited the room and descended down the stairs. Miku warned Kaito that no one under eighteen is allowed here, and Luka only got her job by lying about her age, and the fact that her looks could pass her for someone of age. Kaito understood that they'd have to avoid security like the plague all tonight, but it wouldn't stop them from having fun.

At the bottom of the stairs, they opened the door; Kaito shielded his eyes from the sudden flash. Once he adjusted to the initial shine, he could see the room much more clearly. Slot machines, pachinko, poker tables, roulette, and the one that seemed to be the main attraction was blackjack. The spinning cards suspended in the air, the neon lit floor that looked like warp pads below the blackjack tables, this casino was top of the line. Kaito never ventured into this building downtown before since he never knew it existed, but what a luxurious place it was. A women in a maid outfit came up and offered them melon soda, which they happily accepted.

"So where exactly is Luka? I hope she's a servant! I'll be the world's most annoying customer and make her serve me all night!"

Miku gave him a sly grin, pulling him to some slot machines. "Oh, you'll she her soon, they'll make a huge announcement about it. Till then, let's hit it big!"

"Yeah!" Kaito put his coin in the machine, ready to reap his winnings.

Or so he thought. In less then twenty minutes, Kaito lost four thousand yen to this one slot machine. He hugged his knees, sighing every time he heard Miku cheer, indicating she hit it big again. Clearly the goddess of fortune favored Miku over Kaito because she was already twelve thousand yen up from what she started with. Another cheer lead to another sigh. "Aw, cheer up Kaito. Here, you can have some of my winnings. See? This way, you got all your money back."

Kaito accepted her money and continued sulking in his seat. "Thanks. Maybe this machine is cursed or something. Wait, Miku, lets switch!" Kaito and Miku switched seats and began playing again. 'This could be it! My first wi-' Kaito just received three straight jokers sticking their tongue at him. This was the only combination that would not only give you nothing, but the word loser flashes above you and a laughing soundtrack begins to play. Meanwhile, Miku screamed out in happiness because she won the biggest possible payout on that machine. Kaito grabbed the machine, ready to flip the damn thing through the roof, but calmed himself down enough to refrain from that. The bluenette simply crossed his arms and huffed. "That's it, I'm done gambling. It's stupid anyway."

"Awwww, don't be like that Kaito. I think you'll want to do it one more time, the main event is coming up now." Kaito followed the direction Miku's finger was pointing to.

On the center stage, A man in a tuxedo carrying a microphone seemed to making an announcement. "Thank you for waiting ladies and gentlemen! For all you hardened veteran gamblers waiting and new rookies wanting to prove yourselves, we present our top four cards of greed! First up, CUL, ace of diamonds! More cunning and sharp then a diamond itself, so don't waste you're trying to outsmart her!" A red head came out, wearing a tight, alluring, but not too revealing, red dress, wearing half of a phantom mask over her face. She waved to the cheering crowd, blew a kiss to them all, and made her way to her table; multiple people already waiting.

"Next up, a man whose win streak was once so long, he ended up richer than royalty. Our prince of clubs, Leon!" Leon appeared in a puff of smoke at a table, wearing black dress pant's, and a half buttoned semi-casual dress shirt. "Which princess shall I steal her riches from first? Don't worry ladies, I'll be merciless." Dozens of women stormed his table, wanting to be the first of the night to play a game with the attractive man.

"Now our second best has returned! That's right, you heard it here! No joke, our other sinner of greed is back again! Our queen of hearts, the talented, the alluring, the irresistible, LLAADDDY TEMPTATION!" Kaito's eyes almost rolled back, but they couldn't stop focusing on the sight on stage. Luka(Temptation) danced her way on the stage, showed off some impressive moves and then danced to her own table, dozens of men already placing their bets. In that short time Luka danced, Kaito became completely captivated by it. He had never seen her dance before, it was an amazing sight to see, to say the least. I made him consider stopping by the club more often, since he was now a member of their music group. He wouldn't mind going now if he could watch her practice.

"And we saved the best for last like always! He's the devil who got you all drunk on gambling! He may be the king of spades, but no ace can rank above him! Master Card!"

The floor next to the announcer opened up, a man in a business suit and glasses, sat in a chair, legs crossed, head resting on his hand with a bored expression. "Anyone who can beat one of them is more than qualified for a game with me. You're going to lose it all one way or another, might as well try to give to the me directly. If you can, that is."

This last one finally broke Kaito out of his trance. "M-M-MMiku! Th-th-that's! Hi-hi-hi-hiyama! School teacher! For second years! Him! Look!"

"Ehhh! What! He's here too!"

"How the hell don't you know that, you said you've been here dozens of times before!" Kaito yelled.

"I stopped paying attention after they called Luka! I have to text Meiko this!" Miku took out her phone, but Kaito cover the screen with his hand to stop her.

"Hold on, Miku. You can do that later, for now we must remember what we came her for!" Miku nodded her head.

"To mess with Luka at work!" They both said in sync.

* * *

Luka sent off another batch of men to the atm to get more money. When it came to blackjack at this casino, this one was special. Here, they shuffled twenty decks together, and it would give back fifty-two mixed up cards from twenty different decks. It made it impossible to cheat by card counting like some crooks do. There could be seven aces of spades, one king, twenty jacks of clubs, twelve queens of diamonds, no one knew what kind of mix up it would be, and you didn't even see the cards get shuffled in there. It made the game truly one of pure luck, something Luka seemed to have an unlimited amount for in this game. One out of every eight hundred games, she _might_ lose one. With a ratio like that, she easy became an valued asset to the casino when she was available for work and was very well compensated. She scanned the table for any other poor fool ready to throw their hard earned cash away, coming face to face with a certain bluenette and tealette. "Yo, temptation, wanna go a round with us now?"

Twenty minutes later... "Hit me?" Luka tossed Kaito other card. "Bust again!" Kaito threw his hands up in the air and let his face fall on the table. It was impossible to beat Luka at this game, for him anyway. He lost all the money he had on him, and he didn't feel like getting more; so he opted to support Miku instead, who actually had a chance. Unlike Kaito, she actually had luck for these games. She hadn't won a game either, but at least she came close on several occasions. 'I wished Miku would've warned me before we came how different Luka is while working. She hasn't broken down in the slightest.'

At work, Luka took her job very seriously, refusing to acknowledge them as someone she knew, and treated them the same as every other gambler there. Miku told Kaito that Luka was not the most confident person about her body, but she put up with it to work. As long as no one made comments about her figure, she was fine. Not that they ever got the chance; They lost their cash far too fast to even make a comment. Another 'hit me', a number too low or another bust, Miku couldn't get an edge on Luka. Was it even possible to beat this girl? "Gah! I'm so close! Next one for sure!" Miku slapped more money on the table and got her cards.

Luka gave another coy smile. "Sorry miss, but you may be crushed by the reality of '22' soon, just like you're friend over there."

Kaito smacked both his arms on the table, startling everyone except Luka, who remained her collected self. "That's it! Its time for me to win! Miku, win in my name!" Everyone at the table, except Luka, face planted upon hearing that.

Miku look at him weirdly. "Really Kaito? You could try again yourself, you know."

Kaito spwaled his arms across the table, looking defeated. "Like I have a chance. I have the worst luck here. Better you do it in my place, that way I can pretend I haven't lost four thousand yen twice in one night."

Luka joined in this time, taunting him at his inability to walk away from his failure. "Yes young sir. Join once more, why don't you? 'I'm going quit, I'll ditch it when I'm sick of it, just try this one thing' You were just saying those things to get my attention before you said 'hit me' every time, weren't you? If you want my attention so bad, go to the atm and comeback, you'll pay by the hand."

Kaito wasn't sure what string inside him snapped, but he grabbed half of Miku's previous winnings and bet them for his final hand. "Last hand. All or nothing. I win, I get to rip off the mask you put on yourself, _Lady temptation_. Get ready to stick out those cold lips, bet your confidence won't come out of them now." For the first time of the night, Luka didn't have a smart remark for him. She stood there stunned, soon enough she regained her composure and dealt the cards.

"I never said you could borrow from me, you know?"

"Never said I couldn't. I'll pay you back later." Kaito and Luka both only had one card, each facedown and unknown.

"This game is special. We don't know what that bottom card is until we hold. Basically, you say 'hit me' as many times you want as long as you don't go over twenty-one. Then we add the facedown card in and get the total. Sounds fun? Are you ready, blue boy? Try not get twenty-two again."

"Hit me." Luka dealt him a card, ace of hearts appeared. "Hit me. Hit me. Hit me." Kaito kept saying the same thing over and over again, reciving nothing but aces of heart. Once he got his ninth ace in a row Kaito stopped asking for more cards.

Luka finally dealt her own card, a eight of hearts. "Stay." Luka flipped over her facedown card, revealing the queen of hearts. "Twenty. Well, I can see you going to the bank soon, '22'."

"Kinda figured. I just wanted to go out with a bang, huge ass bet and all. Let's see what I got anyway." Kaito flipped over his card, ready to accept his defeat. It shocked everyone when he saw his card, it was the queen of hearts. He got twenty-one. "Hey look at that. I win. Didn't think 'the queen of hearts' would help me. You know what that means, right?"

Luka didn't respond, she simply stared at the cards in disbelief. She had lost, and to Kaito no less. Someone whose luck was so bad he might as well have been cursed. And she lost. Kaito grinned at how shocked her face looked like. In an instant, he reached across the table and yanked off the white mask covering her face. Kaito put his face an inch away from hers, causing her too blush madly. "K-kaito... too close."

"Yesss! Finally, I got you to break down and say our names! I got you, I totally-! Oh no." Kaito cut his gloated short when he realized to large, buff man were dragging him away.

* * *

In one swift motion, Kaito was thrown out of the extravagant gambling place. "Ow! You could have thrown me softer!"

"No touching the stars, and you don't look old enough to be here! Do you want me to come over there and beat the rules into you!?"

Kaito got on all fours, threw his hood on and groveled on the floor. "No sir, please don't hit me or sit on me. I like my bones in one piece. Sorry!"

Miku ran out after Kaito, but one of the men grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pick her off the floor. "Hey, let go of me jerks! Put me down! Hey, that's mine I won that! You can't do that!" Miku struggled around, trying to grab back her gambling winnings, but the guard kept it out of reach.

"You snuck in here illegally, and gambled illegally. You shouldn't have it in the first place! This is going back to the casino were it belongs, now get lost!" The gaurd threw Miku at Kaito, Kaito springing up and catching her in time.

"Give me my money back you stupid fat sacks of muscle! Or do you not get it because your muscles are squishing your brain too much in there!"

The bigger one of the two security guards started cracking his knuckles, ready for the next comment so he could break their jaws in the middle of it. "M-miku-chan... I-I'll try talking to them, why don't you go to the cafe we were at before. If you say anything else, they might start cracking bones that aren't t-their's, ok?"

Miku crossed her arms and huffed, walking away. "Fine, but to make this up for not letting me yell at them more, you gotta take me to the beach later this week, got it?"

"Sure, just go before you get me killed."

"Just make you tell them how much of a st-"

"Got it! Please go to the cafe now!" Kaito interrupted her before she could finish. Kaito waited, making sure Miku was out of sight before proceeding to beg. "Yeah, so if I could get that money of hers bac-"

"No."

"Well, u-ummm... you have her purse too so-"

"No. Get lost."

"I-it's kind of a problem for her though, that's her purse. Could you do something about i-"

"Get lost now."

Kaito's voice changed, turning low and dark. He looked the man dead in the eye, staring him down with his eye's bloodshot, and a crazed, pained look in his eyes. "Will you do something about my problem then?" Kaito punched the security guard in the abdomen, knocking the wind of him, making him gasp for air. Even though he was on the ground, clutching his stomach and unable to move; Kaito walked over his body, not giving the man any kind of respect as stopped quickly to wipe his feet on his face. Once he finished his degrading act, he moved on to the other who had Miku's purse.

The guard wanted to fight back, but he couldn't move his body. Once he locked eyes with Kaito, a great pressure weighed down his entire body. No, it was more like a shadow had wrapped itself around him and made him into a puppet, only to move when told. The longer he stared into his eyes, the less human this boy seemed to be. At this point, all he could see was a dark figure wearing a hoodie, the blue eyes piercing through the darkness. Kaito held out his hand; The guard placed Miku's purse in his hand without a word. Unfortunately, he wasn't spared from Kaito's dark state, getting knee'd in his genitals hard. He keeled over, cover his assaulted area as if it would lessen the pain.

"That fixes her problem, but what about mine? I'm still stuck with this feeling... when you threw her, she could've gotten hurt if I didn't catch her. That makes me so mad... the feeling... it drives me crazy. My hands won't stop shaking unless I give you what you made me feel. Take my pain for me." Kaito gave him one hard kick in the stomach, bent down, and whispered in his ear. "Don't get in within ten feet of my friend again, or else. You're lucky you didn't something worse to her, or I have to do more to get rid of my pain of my friend being treated like that."

Kaito left the scene, wanting to catch up to Miku at the café. 'It's coming back. All that anger. This is all your fault Benkai. Yours and Leia's. I had my rage moments back then, but it's both you're faults. She died... but we were drifting apart way before that. Even so... I never stopped thinking of you to as my friends... until I met them. They chased after me. They didn't forget me. They come back for me whenever I'm far behind. You both were always more interested in each other then me, and it grew more and more obvious each day. I think I'm done with our fake friendship Benkai. I think I have a shot... at real friends now. At least, I hope that's what this is this time. This feels a lot better then what I _thought_ we had, this feels like what real friendship should be. It was always one-sided, it only took me this long to finally realize it.'

* * *

Back at the casino, Luka was in the dressing room, finally regaining her composure that Kaito just had to ruin at her day at work. She should have heeded him when he said he would find out where she worked just so he could bother her. She took another bite from the bento Miku's mom made for her. 'Even when schools out, she's still kind enough to keep making me lunches. I should thank her again when I get the chance. And for the shower she lets me use. And letting me wash my clothes there too." Somehow, Luka's mind drifted back to Kaito. His recent actions stayed in her thoughts of not just today, but a few days ago as well. 'How does he not feel weird getting that close to someone else's face? And the leg thing too, how does not feel even a little embarrassed? Why am I thinking about this so much? Is it just me? But why I'm I so embarrassed? Grrr! Baka Kaito! Baka! Baakaa! Just what goes on in that head of his?! That guy, honestly!'

* * *

"So, Miku, when do you want to go to the beach?" Kaito asked as he ate his ice cream inside the café.

"I want to go as soon as we can! Let's go this weekend!" 'That gives me just enough time to get a cute new swimsuit!' Miku inwardly gee'd at getting a new swimsuit. She wouldn't miss a big chance like this to show off her charm.

"You know what? Let's take my sister and IA too. They'd love to go, I've only ever taken them to the pool."

"O-oh. S-sure, no problem." 'It's just them, I wanted it to be just us, but its not that big a deal. I can still get him to notice me easily.'

"Oh, I could invite Neru too! She'll probably bring Rin and Len too! Actually, let's just invite everyone! Luka, Meiko, and Gakupo should all come too, we could have a huge beach party! Sounds awesome, doesn't it?"

Miku face planted on the table. "Yeah. Totally. Sounds awesome." 'Great, now you'll be all over the place. Well, I'll be the only one trying to get his attention like that, so it still should be fine.'

"It settled then! Beach trip this weekend!"

Miku couldn't stay in a disappointed state with Kaito beaming with happiness like this. Plus, the idea of everyone having fun together was rather appealing. "Yeah! Beach party! Lets do it!"

* * *

**Thanks to:**

**-****TheDelta724 **

**For reviewing! Xen out!**


	9. Summer beach, concert, and festival PT1

**Hey, before you start reading, I have an announcement to make. Since the next chapter will be the tenth chapter of this story I want to make it a little special. I want you the readers to P.M. or message me any questions you have about the story or me, the author, and I'll answer them if it's not too private, so don't be afraid to ask. **

**I'll still have the story written in the next chapter too, I just want to commemorate it with a little Q&amp;A. You can P.M me or leave a review, and guests can leave questions in a review. I'm not sure if they can P.M. me, but if you can, go for it. Please leave questions, I look forward to answering them!**

* * *

Staring out the window of the moving train, Kaito watched nature flash pass him as everyone got closer to their destination, the beach. Across from him, Luka and Miku were sleeping soundly in their seats, resting on each other. Luka had work the previous night and today was her day off, but she still needed to catch up on her sleep. Miku, on the other hand, got bored on the train and fell asleep. Kaito wasn't sure how much longer this window could distract him from his urges. His sister head rested in his lap while she napped, and IA leaned on Kaito's shoulder, dozing off as well. Somehow, Kaito was tasked with waking everyone up when they had arrived. In the cub behind him, Neru, Rin, Len, Meiko, and Gakupo were also resting. He couldn't take much more, he had to do it. He was a teenage boy, there was no way to stop this urge, it was only natural, all boys got this urge.

He had to draw on someone's face this instant. Everyone was vulnerable, someone needed to receive the divine punishment of falling asleep on transportation. It was a known fact that if you fell asleep on a plane, bus, boat or train, and someone had a marker, you'd be graffitied when you woke up. 'Who though? Who!?' Kaito fought himself on who the unlucky victim would be. Scribbling everyone was out of the question, he'd never get away with it. He could only chose one. One unlucky victim would fall prey to his mischief. He ran scenarios in his head with chibi versions of everyone on the train. His sisters were out of the question, he didn't want to see the sad faces of betrayal he'd get from them. 'Luka? No, she'll tell Meiko and then I get the crap beat out of me. Miku? Nah, it'd be the same thing as Luka. Rin and Len are out, Neru will smack me with her phone if I mess with them without asking first. Mei- that shouldn't even be considered. Do I have a death wish? Do I want to die? That only leaves Gakupo then. Well, sucks to be him. Better move fast, we're almost there.'

"Shion, get back here so I can kill you!" Gakupo screamed as he chased Kaito out the train and toward the beach, his sword ready to strike him down. Kaito went too far, he realized that. Did he regret his actions? Of course not, that's why he was running. He didn't get that far though. Right before he made it to the sand, a bicyclist crashed into Kaito. Gakupo dragged the road kill back to help carry all the things they brought. "Jackass." Gakupo muttered. He still had to wipe off all the drawings and 'messages' he left on his face. Everyone in their group laughed when they saw what Kaito had done to Gakupo's face and arms. Though what he did to his face was tame and common, mustache, monocle, goatee, monobrow; what he did to his arm was clearly not for children's eyes. This became more obvious when he glanced around and saw mother's shielding their child's eyes from such terrible profanity. Once he made it back to everyone, he tossed Kaito back to them. "Get him off his sorry butt and make him carry stuff. Luka, could you help me wash off this off my arms? I keep getting glares from parents."

"S-sure *snicker* sure, hold still!"

"You can't actually think this is funny!?" Luka burst out laughing, clutch her stomach as she pointed and laughed at him, along with the rest of the group. "I will bury him alive."

* * *

Once everyone got their things settled on the beach, they went off to the dressing rooms to get changed. The boys finished first, exited, and waited outside for the girls to finish. Kaito and Len put on normal swimming trunks, Kaito's blue with white waves in the bottom; He also wore a blue hoodie as well, and Len's yellow with a black borderline. Gakupo's however, was not the norm. Considering he was from a family of samurai, that must of been normal for them to wear loincloths, or maybe that was the only thing he had to wear. Either way, the sight was not the most pleasant at first. You got used to it, but that first sight gets you good. Finally the first pair of females came out was none other then his two favorite little sisters. Kaiko, sporting a two-piece matching swim suit design as her brother, leaped on her brother. "Oni-chan, look at my swimsuit! Is it cute?"

Kaito smiled, patting her head lovingly. "The cutest there is. A cute swimsuit goes good with a cute little sister."

IA went up next, showing of her black and pink two-piece, the lower part colored black, the upper right cup pink and the upper left black. "Am I alright?"

"Super cute too. It's hard to believe you're allowed to be that cute." Kaito complimented as he ruffled her hair.

"Are you sure it is? You're not just saying that?" IA questioned.

"Of course! I bet the other guys think so too. Right guys?" "Gakupo shrugged his shoulders and nodded, not really having a opinion on the matter.

Len looked down on the ground, his face redden slowly as he responded. "Y-yeah, it's pretty." Len sometimes forgot that IA and Kaiko were girls with attractive bodies. He never saw them in swim wear before, and he didn't want to ogle at his friends all day. "I-it's pretty hot out here, let's head in the water real quick!" 'I need to cool off now!'

"Yeah!" Kaiko and IA cheered as they ran toward the ocean, only to be yanked back by Kaito.

"No you don't. Sunscreen. Put it on first."

Kaiko whined loudly, not wanting to listen to her brother. "But oni-chan! It's all sticky and white and feels weird and gross! I don't like it when that gooey stuff is all over me!"

Len gulped. 'That is phrased way too wrong. Rin get out here already!'

"Well you both gotta put it on anyway. Len, do me a solid and rub lotion all other my sister and IA." Kaito asked.

'That sounds even better! I mean worse! Rin, hurry up! I forgot how good looking are friends are!' "C-couldn't you do it yourself?" He asked, not sure if he should curse himself for throwing away such a glorious task or praising himself for self restraint and respecting his friends.

"I'm staying here till everyone's done changing, and they don't want to wait. It's not that hard, just make sure you get them everywhere. Here." Kaito tossed Len the sunscreen. "Just so you know, Kaiko's gonna squirm around a lot when you do it to her, so I give you permission to do whatever you need to do to her to get her rubbed down everywhere, got it?"

'Anything? No! No! Why does he have to phrase it like that!?' "B-but I might mess up!" Len countered.

"It's cool. I've messed up a few times doing it too. IA's gotten pretty upset when I got some that white gunk in her hair, but she'll forgive you."

'Why does everything he says so impressionable?!'

"Hey Len! I'm done changing, check-" Len yanked Rin's (Striped Bikini) arm, not even giving her time to show off her rainbow striped bikini to everyone.

"Rin, help me put lotion on Kaiko and IA! I'm no good at it, so show me!" Len dragged Rin off, Kaiko and IA jogging after them to where they set up there stuff.

"Why do girls take so long to change? They put on like one extra piece of clothes." Kaito asked to no one in particular.

He felt an arm swing around his shoulder, playfully rocking him back and forth. "That's cause we're fabulous! No one cares when a guy changes! Like, check me out!"

Kaito removed the arm from his neck, seeing Meiko(Long Pareo) striking a pose, showing off her white bikini, the lower portion covered by pareo. "Looks good on you, real cute. Uff!" Meiko punched Kaito in the gut.

"Wrong answer! Sexy! All girls swimsuits are suppose to be sexy! You don't call it cute!" She yelled angrily.

"Sexy, ok! Super sexy! I didn't know that rule, ok?! Sexy, you look so sexy!"

Meiko smiled. "Much better. Don't forget it."

Miku(Polka Dot Bikini) and Neru(Akita Neru swimwear) came out next, waving to Kaito. "Kaito! Hey, hey, ready for an awesomazing day at the beach?" Miku asked, closing the distance between them.

"Yeah, lets volleyball! I'll be lead spiker!" Kaito screamed as he punched up in the air.

"But before that, what to you think? I bought it yesterday."

Kaito gave her a thumbs up. "Sexy. Good buy."

Miku blushed, placing both hands on her cheeks, and looked away. "W-wow. I didn't think you say something like that. I thought you would've just said it's cute or something. I-I didn't think you'd enjoy it like this."

"Don't worry, Meiko set me straight after she punched me. Always call a girls swimsuit sexy no matter what or get hit!"

"Meiko!"

"Yo!" Meiko grinned widely.

"Whatever. Kaito, what do you really think of it?" Miku asked again.

Kaito gave another thumbs up. "Sexy."

"Meiko, you broke him! Now I can't get a real answer from him!"

Meiko wrapped her arms around Miku and rocked back and forth. "Ah, don't sweat it! Besides, doesn't feel great being call _seexy_? Makes me feel super confident about my bod!"

Everyone sweat dropped at that. 'Don't you have enough as is?' They all thought.

Neru poked Kaito in his stomach. "Remember, you said we'd build the biggest sandcastle today."

"I won't, I wanna build one too. By the way, when's Luka coming out? She's taking forever." Kaito asked.

"Remember that time I mentioned Luka's super shy about her body? Yeah, she won't change with other people in the room, not even us." Miku explained.

"So we're going to be here till the end of time then?!" Kaito exaggerated.

"Oh, shut it. Unlike them I change clothes at a normal speed." Luka told Kaito as she walked out. Luka wore a zipped up brown hoodie, which covered her from her mid thighs, all the way up to her neck, concealing whatever she wore underneath.

"Wow. At least you don't have to worry about putting that much sunscreen on." Kaito remarked.

Meiko tsk'd, disappointed at Luka. "If I had known you wanted my hoodie just so you could hide yourself like that, I never would have brought it for you."

Luka shrugged at her. "Oh well. Kaito, do you got a problem with me wearing this?"

Kaito gave her a thumbs up. "Sexy."

"Yep, Meiko punched you too. Did the same thing to Gakupo to when we went to the pool once."

"Her punches hurt. A lot." Kaito commented.

After some more idle chit chat, they made their way over to where they planted their gear. When they arrived, they could see that IA, Kaiko, Rin, and Len already playing in the water. They all sat down and put on their sunscreen, except for Kaito. Kaito set up the beach umbrella, and started looking for the volley ball equipment to set up for their game. Meiko held out a bottle of sunscreen for him. "Here. You'll need this, won't you?"

Kaito gave her a repulsed look. "Ew. No way, that stuff is gross as shit."

Gakupo threw the volleyball Kaito was looking for at him, making him topple over. "What you do that for?" Miku asked.

"His hypocrisy pisses me of to no end. It's like he was born to be an idiot that pisses people off."

Meiko laid down on her beach towel, and did the back of her bra top. "Kaito, do me a solid and get my back for me, will ya?"

Kaito got back up and went to Meiko's side with lotion. "Sure, it might feel a bit weird though."

"Why w-! Oh my god!"

"Told you it feel weird. IA and Kaiko always make weird sounds when I do it. Guess I'm not very good at it. Do you want me stop? Someone else is prob-"

"No! Keep going! Lower back, lower back! Yes! Oooooohhh. That's the spot! So there is something you good at!" Meiko shouted in almost pure extasy as Kaito rubbed her back thoroughly with lotion.

"Really? Maybe I was dong it right, I never did ask if I did it right or not. I just assumed cause of the sounds they made." Kaito was about to get up and go back to setting up for there game, but Meiko grabbed his are before he could move so much as an inch.

"Where do you think you're going? Keep rubbing."

"But I got your back and shoulders already." Kaito answered plainly.

"Doesn't matter, keep going till I say so." Meiko demanded.

"Ok." Kaito did as instructed and went to work on Meiko's backside. Meiko continued to let out moans and sighs of pleasure. 'Best. Massage. Ever.'

Miku began to get jealous of Meiko, she was about to ask for that, but the brunette beat her too it. And to make it worse, Kaito was apparently an amazing masseuse. Miku knew Meiko didn't have any feelings for Kaito, she just liked being bossy and violent with him because he could take it and didn't resent her for bring so rough most of the time. However, she was interfering with Miku's flirting attempts. "Kaito, take a break from Meiko and lotion me up. Please, I don't want to get sun burned later!"

Meiko let out another satisfied breath. "No way, he's my slave. Gooo get yooour ooown."

"I'm not a slave!"

"Yes you are. Now keep rubbing!"

"Fine."

"Meiko, I-" Miku was cut off when she felt a could, liquid like substance smeared on her back. She looked over her shoulder to find Luka rubbing lotion on her back.

"Don't worry Miku, I got you." Luka said.

"T-thanks. I appreciate it." 'Luka, no! You're almost as blind as Kaito!' Miku sulked, sad about her friends naturally helpful nature making her miss a chance.

After they finished, they set up a spot for their game. It was Miku and Kaito versus Meiko and Gakupo, with Luka acting as the ref with the whistle around her neck, and Neru as the crowd. "Alright, I want a good, clean game from everyone! Miku, you're serving first." Luka announced, blowing her whistle loudly.

Miku served the ball over the net, which Gakupo returned with ease. Miku ran after the ball, and hit it high up and near the net. Kaito sprung up and spiked the ball. Meiko was ready for that though, standing right below. "Denied!" She shouted as she used her arms to bounce the ball back up. Unfortunately, it smacked Kaito right in the face, making him crashed down; the ball bouncing back to Meiko's side of the court. "Dang it, they still scored."

"*Tweet* Point, team ice leeks!"

Miku rushed to Kaito's side, lightly tapping his face to wake him up. "Kaito? Kaito! Are you ok?"

Kaito grabbed ahold of her hand, making her blush from the position they were in. "Miku... even if we win... I'm going to lose, aren't I?"

* * *

The rest of the day consisted sand castle building, splash fights, races, digging big sand holes, and some Frisbee. Everyone had gone into the water except for Luka and Kaito, who remained away from the water. They never took off their hoodies the entire time they were at the beach. For whatever reason, they'd shy away from going in the ocean. The sun had just finished setting, showing a beautiful full moon in the night sky. There wasn't a single star in the sky, only the moon would shine this night. The group sat around a fire they started so they could cook and roast things to eat. There was one person missing however, and that person was Kaito. "Oniiiiii-chaaaaan! I made a smore for you! Come on, I want you to try it!" Kaiko shouted, calling her brother.

"Kaiko, I don't think he's around here, we would have seen him by now if he was." IA told her, sipping from her orange juice box.

"Aww. I worked really hard to make it though. Can someone find oni-chan for me? I need to stay here and protect my special treat to oni-chan from the evil seagulls!" Kaiko asked as she shield the slightly over burnt smore.

"I'll go find him!" Miku shot up and went toward the ice cream stand up near the road.

Luka got up from her seat as well. "I'm going for a walk, if I see him, I'll tell him to head back." Luka grabbed one of the sticks and walked further down the shore. The pinkette kept walking, drawing scribbles in the sand as she went. She went so far down at see couldn't see her friends anymore, only a faint light from their fire. Soon enough, she made it to a rocky cliff. Sitting at the end, staring at who knows what, the missing blue boy was found. Luka climb up, walked to the edge, and sat next to him. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Your sister wants you, she made a smore for you."

"Really? I'll head back in a minute then." Kaito replied, not taking his eyes off whatever he was looking at for even a second.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" Luka asked.

"Nothing much really. Thinking, I guess. It's a real nice moon out tonight, the sea looks nice too. I like how quiet and peaceful it is." Kaito answered, his eyes more fixated on the moon now. "Luka, who was your first friend?" He asked out of the blue.

"Miku. Why are you asking?"

"That's nice, a real friend from the start."

"You're not making any sense."

Kaito paused for a bit before continuing. "I didn't have real friends before, just my sister and IA, whose basically a family member."

At this point, Luka knew anything she was about to ask would lead into the more personal and mysterious past of Kaito, and even though she didn't want him to divulge anything that would bother him, she couldn't handle anymore of these small hints about him she's acquired after all this time. "Isn't Benkai you're best friend? Don't you guys go way back?"

"All that time... didn't count for much of anything. We were never real friends. I never had other ones before, so how could I tell it was shallow and fake till now."

"How'd you grow so apart?"

"We didn't. Like I said, it was never real. I was just a third wheel." For the first time, Kaito broke his gaze from the moon and look at Luka. Luka was speechless when she saw Kaito's eyes. To describe it all in one shot, it was a mix of sadness, loneliness, regret, but most of all, disappointment. "I lied back then. You look a lot like her."

"...Who?"

"Leia. My other fake friend."

She couldn't help it, she had to ask more, she was far too curious. "You never told me much about her. Was I similar any other way? Did she mean a lot to you?"

Kaito broke out a sad smile. "No, luckily she was nothing like you. I actually like that about you the most. It really showed me the difference between a real and fake friendship."

"What exactly was that?" Luka asked.

"After our trip to Akiba. Even though we both agreed we were pretty much neutral about each other, you were always watching out for me. With projects, you write out most of it for me because you knew I didn't never get a passing score on my own. In the halls, you'd help me find my way since I sometimes still get lost going to the classroom. You watch after my sister when I'm not around in my place, making sure she safe and happy. But most of all, what I like about all of you guys the most is how you made me feel apart of the group. I never feel left out like I used to. So thank you. You, Miku, Neru, Meiko, Gakupo, Rin, and Len. I've only ever felt this way with Kaiko and IA. I always thought that what you feel with your family and what you feel with you're friends is different, but now it doesn't feel so different."

"Kaito..." Luka was speechless. Kaito had just shared some of his past, his painful past. Some of his inner most feelings were let out, and she had nothing to say back. Luka hugged her knees and buried her face in it. She was about to do something she wasn't sure she wanted to do. The way Kaito shared his past pain made a feeling well up inside her, one that compelled her to spill contents of her own troubles. "You know, I really envy you and Kaiko. You two are so close, almost inseparable. A brother or sister is priceless. They're one of the people you rely on the most. I have a sister, her name is Lily. For the longest time, Lily was the person I loved most, admired, and wanted to be like. She protected me from my dad as much as she could. One day though..." Luka began cry. Her tears flowed down her cheek, and her voice began hesitating and getting more high-pitched.

"She just changed. She stopped loving me. From then on, I always got a look from her, like I was just a nuisance. She even began siding with that monster of a father. All she cared about was doing whatever that monster wanted. W-why? Why won't she love me? I see her everyday, but can't talk to her. Why does she hate me now?" Luka's voice began getting so high, it was almost incomprehensible squeaks. "I don't e-e-even try to talk to her a-anym-more. All I do is stay silent and stare at the floor. She doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. S-she h-h-h-hates me. I-I-I-I m-miss her so m-m-much. Lily..." Luka started breaking down.

Kaito stared at her with a blank expression. So he was right that night when he dropped her back at her house, she had lost something too. He felt guilty though. Perhaps it's because he revealed something so personal about himself that Luka forced herself to bring up pent up emotions. Watching her cry like this wasn't easy, and he didn't want her to keep drowning in self loathing because of something that probably not her fault in the first place. Kaito had enough sleepless nights beating himself up before to know it's something people shouldn't experience. So, to cancel it out, he opted to tell Luka something extremely personal. An image that still occasionally haunted him when he slept. The most scarring thing that happened in his life. Then tell her that since Lily's still around, maybe in the future they could become close again. "I held Leia's bloody corpse."

Luka ceased her crying and stared at Kaito with wide eyes, her tear stains evident on her cheek. "What?"

"I freaked out at first, I didn't want to believe what I saw. So I picked her up and tried to wake her up. It only freaked me out more. Holding a lifeless body in your arms, looking at the cut in her throat that spewed out blood all over her face and body. Real eyes that are devoid of life. And an expression on their face that says 'help me, please save me, I'm scared, I don't want to die.' I'll never know if she hadn't been died, maybe we could have been real friends. I don't know, I'll never find out. I like to think that we would have, but that's the past. But in your case, she's still around, so there always a chance she'll love you again. So cheer up, okay?" Kaito smiled, and lightly punched her arm.

Luka couldn't believe Kaito had the ability to smile when recalling something so terrible and horrid. He was still viewing positives for her, not wanting her to cry any further. Wiping away the remaining tears in her eyes, and pushed away her own problems. If Kaito could still make a smile after something like that, so could she. "Yeah, you're right." They both watch the sea in silence for a while, listening to the soothing sound of waves crashing on the shore. The scenery was nice, but they had to head back eventually. "We should head back, you still have that smore waiting on you." Luka joked.

Kaito laughed heartily. "Yeah, I'm starting to starve. Let's go." They both got up, but the edge of the cliff was wet and slippery. This caused Luka to lose her balance and fall over the edge. Kaito grabbed her arm, but he couldn't keep sufficient grip on the ground with just his feet and fell down with her, toward the ocean. They both surfaced back up, gasping for air. Once they caught their breaths, Kaito looked at Luka with a bored expression and made his voice comically low. "You what you did. You failure you."

"S-s-shut it, I know ok-k-kay! God, the water is freezing!" Luka shouted, shivering in her spot. "L-let's get out before we freeze."

Kaito nodded. Once they made it back to shore, Kaito took off his blue hoodie and twisted it dry. He looked back and saw Luka shivering in her wet brown hoodie. "Aren't you going to take that off? You'll catch a cold if you don't."

"No! Then you'll see me. Actually, turn around and don't look this way. And don't look until I say so, got it?" Luka asked, though more demanded then asking anyway.

Kaito rolled his eyes and twirled around, zipping his hoodie back up. "Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up." Kaito heard her zipper being pulled down. He waited and waited for her to say he could turn around so they could head back, but instead all her heard was grunting behind him. Eventually, he couldn't stand waiting anymore and check to see what was taking Luka so long. He walked over and peered over Luka's shoulder. She was still trying to wring out all the water in her hoodie, but she seemed to lack the strength to accomplish that. "It's real sad how little strength you have sometimes." Kaito commented.

Luka(Resort bikini) jumped from her spot. "K-kaito! No, don't look! Don't look at me!" Instead of quickly putting the hoodie back on like a rationally thinking person, Luka tried covering parts of her body with it. "Look away! Don't look- Hey give it back! Ah!"

Kaito swiped the hoodie from Luka, making her bend down to the ground and hug her knees, trying to cover as much of her body as she can. Kaito paid no attention to Luka's distress, only focusing on drying out her hoodie. Once he finished, he looked at Luka oddly as he examined her swimsuit. "Green? Seems like it'd be more likely for Miku to wear that. Still, looks cute on you." Kaito held out her hoodie for her to grab, which she did quickly. Suddenly, Kaito jerked back and covered himself defensively. "Crap! I mean sexy! Please don't hit me!"

Luka put on and zipped up her hoodie like before, and stood up. "Meiko's not here to hit you right now, you don't have to keep saying that."

"Sorry, but you never know, she could be sprinting towards us right now so she can drop kick me in the face." With Kaito's silly antic's out of the way, they finally started making their way back. "Hey, Luka. So why are you so shy about you're body?" Kaito asked.

Luka groaned, looking away from him. "I just not all that comfortable showing it. I'd rather wear my regular clothes. I don't have confidence like Miku and Meiko."

"Oh, so you're just naturally shy about it? Well, you are pretty much the shy one of you three anyway, so it makes sense."

"I wouldn't say I'm shy... quiet is a better word."

* * *

Later, they made it back to camp. Once Kaito sat down, his sister began smothering him with attention, which he gladly welcomed. Kaiko, exhausted from the day, napped on her brother's lap after a few minutes of their playful sibling reunion. IA began fighting off sleep, wanting to fall asleep on Kaito, but too embarrassed to with everyone around.

Miku, who returned before Luka and Kaito after failing to locate him, wanted to make an announcement. "Okay everyone, today was amazing and all, but it's about time we talked about something serious. Our club needs to preform somewhere soon! We'll never get anywhere up the ladder to stardom this way! So, club members, ideas!" Miku looked around for any ideas, but got none.

Len and Rin had a dumb look their face, having no idea what to say since they were new to the club. Neru had no idea what she was talking about in the first place since she didn't know much about the club in general. Kaiko was fast asleep on Kaito, and IA seemed too busy just trying to keep herself awake, she might have not even heard her. Gakupo wasn't part of the club, so he had no obligation to offer an idea, nor did he care much to.

Meiko and Luka just seemed depressed, getting on all fours, sulking about how they made no better progress then last year at getting places to preform. Miku joined her friends in their sulking. All those dance moves and songs they made together, the thought it going to waste because they never amounted to anything from it hurt. Kaito looked at the self-wallowing trio, wondering why they were overeating so much. "Is this really all that big a deal?"

"Shut it, baka Kaito." The three said sadly.

Kaito looked further down the beach. He might have a solution to their problem if this was the beach he was thinking of. "Hey, whats the name of this beach?"

"Onokoto." Luka answered dejectedly.

"Is Onokoto the beach that has those crazy parties and concert every weekend at a super expensive beach house?" Kaito asked as he pointed far down the beach.

"Yeah. If you preform at one of those, it means you're meant to be famous. But even getting into the party is exclusive, I don't think we're even allowed to dream about preforming there. If you're not invited it's like ninety-thousand yen to get in, and only two percent of the people there are actually invited." Meiko answer flatly, sighing.

"I could get us to a show there. I know a guy that wants to pay me back really badly, he could set it all up for US!" Kaito yelped that last bit as Meiko, Miku, and Luka grabbed his hoodie ends and yanked it up in the air. He made sure not to be pulled to much so Kaiko wouldn't fall off his lap.

Death glares came from all three of them. "Don't fuck with us like that Kaito, we're serious here." All three of them said coldly.

"I'm not! P-put me down first, I don't want to drop Kaiko!" All three of them released him and waited for his explanation.

Kaito exhaled. These girls were scary enough as is, but they were talking it to a whole other level now. "I'm serious. The guy I know happens to own that place, and a couple other big stages like that. He could totally hook us up, probably for next week."

The second he finished that sentence, Luka, Miku, and Meiko flew around the camp, gathering up all the supplies they brought with them. "We're leaving now!" Meiko shouted.

Miku started piling things up in her arms. "We need to start practicing right away! Double, no, triple our practice sessions!"

Luka grabbed things and gave them to Gakupo to carry. "I gotta think of new dance moves! Kaito, don't you forget to set it up!"

"S-sure, I won't." 'Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. It's been a while since I've seen YOHIOLOID, hopefully he's still not too sorry.' It was a shame they all had to leave in such hurry, but once they heard they could get a performance at somewhere where tons of people gather and words spread, those three became obsessed.

* * *

The first thing Kaito(School uniform *parka) did next morning was get on a train back to Onokoto so he could speak with YOHIOLOID. It was rude to just show up at someone's door step without notice and just to ask for a favor, but he'd rather not be killed at sixteen by three angry girls. After he got off the train, he walked far down to a luxurious beach house.

At the front door, a few teens were sitting around a table, playing cards. "Damn it, one of you lying assholes has a nine!"

Kaito ignored them and went straight for the door, only to find it locked. He walked over and knocked on the table. "Hey, can I see YOHIOLOID? Or is he not here?"

"Unless you made an appointment for today, which he has none of." One player droned out, not even bothering to look up from his hand.

"Look, I get it. Everyone wants to be cool and get in our parties and tell all their friends they got to go; Or maybe you're a band looking to book your first big gig, but our boss is a busy guy and not everyone can... K... K-K-KKAito! It's you! You actually came to visit! Let me open the door for you!"

"Move it, I'll open it for him!"

"No, me!"

"Text YOHIOLOID! Tell him Kaito came!" The group of teens rushed to unlock the door and ushered him in.

Kaito didn't know if he had to wait or go find YOHIOLOID. Then his ice cream need kicked in. Kaito went off to go in his fridge and eat whatever ice cream they had. He'd feel guilty about it, but YOHIOLOID did say that if he ever came to visit he could help himself to anything he wanted. Inside the kitchen, he found a short blond boy playing his bird. "Hey, Oliver. Got a pet now, huh?"

"Mister Kaito?"

"You're half right; it's Kaito only."

Oliver bowed his head. "Sorry."

"Don't be. Is you're brother around? I kinda need a favor." He asked.

"Sure! He'll be super happy to help, I'll go get him! Come on James!" Oliver ran off with his bird in pursuit.

In only a minute, YOHIOLOID rolled himself in on a wheelchair, not the slightest bit shocked at Kaito alreay half done with a tub of ice cream. "I'm glad you finally came to visit! How you been?"

"Fine, more or less. I go to school now, it's really hard." Kaito answered.

"No joke? Guess you really are a average teenager now."

"I could have been one and not go to school, but I didn't have a choice. I get my mom in major trouble if they found out I never did any real homeschooling, so better to just stop before I get caught."

"For once you made a smart move. Before we go any further though..." YOHIOLOID rolled up to the low table and smack his hands down on it along with his head. "I'm sorry! I'm still sorry about what I did!"

Kaito copied his form of bowing. "Me too. I was angry and went too far."

"You don't have to apologize! It's all my fault!"

"Neither do you. It happened, but it's not all your fault."

"Yes it is! I killed Leia!"

"And I broke you're legs. Yet you still won't call it even."

* * *

"So that's the whole story? You three always seemed so close though. Then again, what goes on the surface and what's going on inside are usually two different things."

Kaito shoveled more ice cream into his mouth. "So you don't have to feel so guilty about it. Like I said, the friendship was fake, I just didn't know because I never had any other friends to know the difference."

"That still doesn't excuse taking a life, even if it was an accident."

"It's not all you're fault though, if Leia didn't freak out and move so much while you had that knife to her throat, she wouldn't have died accidently got her vein cut. Granted, you shouldn't hold knifes to peoples neck to intimidate them. Besides, you never fought with it. You just had it for show."

YOHIOLOID looked down, ashamed of the way he used to act. "That still doesn't change anything, I still want to pay you back. I'll never stop trying to repay my debt."

"Well, if you want to take a small chunk out of this 'debt' you made for yourself, I got a favor I gotta ask." Kaito explained to the blonde the reason he came over, what he needed, and why.

"Consider it done. I'll just kick out that other band I had lined up for this week, don't even know their name enough to care."

"Nice! Thank you, now I can live another day! I gotta say though, for a bunch of orphans kicked out of town after we won, you guys made out amazing. You got rooms here for your whole group and you're living in style." Kaito commented as he marvel around.

"Yeah, who would have thought? But I somehow did it. Not being a violent idiot helped out a lot." YOHIOLOID chuckled.

"So how'd you make it so big? Come on, tell me you're secret."

"I don't think you'll understand, but here goes nothing. It starts of in theoretical-"

"Pass! Never mind! That sounded like it was going down a really boring path!" Kaito exclaimed. He rather not embarrass himself when his brain short circuits.

The blonde rolled up his chair, and made his way over to Kaito. "Hey, you got a picture of your new friends? I curious to know this group that could get the shy 'Devil' out of his shell." YOHIOLOID teased.

Kaito rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not shy, just quiet. And don't call me devil, I hate that name they gave me."

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "You earned it after that brawl. When you snapped these two legs and let me live, they thought only the devil would let someone like me live to suffer forever like this. Though it's not all that hard now. Besides, before that you were 'Blue demon'. Not too bad an upgrade." YOHIOLOID jested at the end.

Kaito flipped out his phone and pulled out a photo from their recent trip. "Here. This is everyone, we were down the beach yesterday."

YOHIOLOID studied the picture, surprised at what he found. "Wow! Look at you, who would have guessed you could make so many friends. Damn! Ok, tell me now. Which one are you humping?"

"What?"

"Don't give me that! Those girls are drop dead gorgeous, you have to be after one of them at least. Is it the brunette? She is so damn sexy with that body of hers, and her boobs look so fricken huge! Aw man, she seems like she'd be wild in bed! It's definitely that one, isn't it?! Or is it the twin pigtails? Into smaller portions are you? Want someone you can dominate? Look at the blonde with that side pony tail, she looks like that tsunadere type. If that ones free, let me have a go at her, I love bittersweet acts! Hey, loo-..." The blond ceased all comments about the photo when he came across a certain some in the photo. "Kaito... is..." YOHIOLOID could only point at the screen, his face as white as a ghost, with his other hand clutching his chest, with his heart beating a hundred miles an hour.

Kaito looked to where he pointed, seeing Luka's face. "...Oooohhhh. No, that's not Leia, her name is Luka. That's totally what Leia would've look like if she had grown up though."

YOHIOLOID let out his breath and released the grip on his chest, his heart rate returning to normal. "Oh thank god. That scared me shitless. But man, she's good looking. Do you have a pic without that hoodie on? I gotta see that!"

Kaito rolled his eyes. He was perfectly fine now. "Why are you so girl crazy now?"

"What can I say? I know how good a girls feels now." Kaito gave him a weird look. "Sex, Kaito, sex. It's fucking amazing, and it changes with every type of girls. I regret all the time I didn't spend chasing them now! You should try it, go out with one of those girls! One of them has to be your type!"

"Nah. I don't think I'm worth dating all that much. Besides, I have friends now. That's just as good as a girlfriend, right?."

The blonde sighed. "Trust me, Kaito. The feeling of dating someone you like is way above just being friends with people you like. Don't hurt yourself trying to figure it out, you're the type that'll only get it once you experience it. Anyway, I'll make the schedule the concert for Saturday. Send me a copy of that pic, I need to show my guys who to let in."

"Sure, give me your number." Once they exchanged numbers and Kaito sent the picture; Kaito waved goodbye and left the premises.

Back on the train, Kaito couldn't stop thinking about YOHIOLOID. There conversation was so smooth and even though some serious topics came up, they could brush it off rather quickly. It was like they were old friends catching up. One last thing rang in Kaito's head. _'The feeling of dating someone you like is way above just being friends with people you like.'_

He wonder if what the blonde said was true. He loved having friends now, and apparently dating was something that overshadowed it. It made him real curious, questioning if it really could be so amazing. Unfortunately, he'd have to give up on the thought. He didn't think there was anyone that'd want to date him. He didn't think he had any qualities that made him a desirable person to date. He wasn't smart, or good at sports. He was lazy, dozed off a lot, messed with others for his own amusement, quiet, a bit reserved. He found it a miracle he had friends at all now. Kaito doubted anyone he knew would even consider dating him.

'Still... I wonder what it'd be like? And who would I want to date?'

* * *

**Thanks to:**

**-TheDelta724**

**-HaveYouSeenThisOtaku**

**For reviewing! I look forward to answering your questions! Xen out!**


	10. Summer beach, concert, and festival PT2

**Hey guys, long time no update! Sorry, got busy last month. Anyway, I only got one question so this Q&amp;A will be real quick. **

**TheDelta724: **_What made you want to write this story, (Aside from liking Luka X Kaito) and why do you write it the way you do?_  
**A: **_As corny as it sounds, reading other people stories. I always felt so excited whenever a new chapter came out, so I thought 'Hey, maybe I should write too and make stories others like to read. As for writing it the way I do, I'm not too sure what you mean. If you mean why I do it in third person view, that's because it feels more natural for me to write it that way._

* * *

No more. He couldn't take anymore. Kaito looked to his left, watching Len pant on the floor with him. This was exhausting, excruciating, and there was no clear end in site. 'When are we gonna stop practicing! It's been three hours!' Kaito was regretting ever bring up his connection now more than ever. Everyone had been practicing in the clubroom nonstop for the past week for hours on end. Kaito and Len had just recently joined, they had no idea that wanting to be a pop star could feel so tiring. All the dancing and singing after so long became painful.

How everyone else could go on so long was anyone's guess. Perhaps it was drive, maybe it was excitement, either way, Kaito and Len were on the verge of passing out again. "G-guys... my everything hurts... can we stop for today already? The concerts tomorrow, can't we take the rest of the day off to rest?"

Luka, Miku, and Meiko stared daggers at him. "No. We're not messing up our chance." They told him lowly. IA, Kaiko, and Rin were memorizing song lyrics Miku was able to write up over the course of the week. Meiko pinned everyone down and forcibly took their measurements (They would have complied if she asked, but she didn't even want to waste time asking), and constructed outfits throughout the week. Luka literally made them dance until they dropped; That's the reason they're on the floor now, the three usually nice, easygoing girls had gone into full diva mode.

Luka bent down and lightly started karate chopping Kaito's head. "Wake up. I won't let you screw up tomorrow, do the routine again."

"Hit me harder, I'm almost there, I'm almost in death's reach so he can save me from here and drag me to hell, where it's safe from you three."

"You don't get to die. Now get up." Luka demanded.

"Why not!? Len got to!" Kaito whined as he pointed out to a passed out Len.

"I'll have Kaiko resurrect him later, you stay alive and practice."

"My sister isn't a mage!" Kaito yelled. 'She a mascot character!' He secretly added in his mind. "Enough, already! You three have been working us like slaves for the past five days, can't we take a break?"

"No!" The three girls screamed at him.

"But isn't it bad luck to practice non-stop? Doesn't that increase the chance of messing up?" Kaito desperately tried to reason with them.

All three girls stared at each other before shoving everyone out of the room. "Go home and rest for tomorrow!" Miku, Luka, and Meiko yelled before slamming the door shut.

Kaiko and IA looked to Kaito for answers. "Oni-chan, do we just go home now?"

"Kaito, can we get donuts on the way home?"

Kaito sighed. His sisters had it much easier than him, he still had to go to his job soon. He could already see Rin dragging Len down the hallway, heading back to their house as told. "Sure, I'll get you lots of sprinkle ones. You guys wait for me outside, I need to talk with them first." Both girls nodded, heading out the school to wait for Kaito to buy them treats. Kaito entered back in the clubroom, ready to drag Meiko, Miku and Luka out so they wouldn't stay up all night practicing; but instead, he found all three collapsed and sprawled across Luka's dance mat, soundly sleeping. A small smile formed on his lips. He admired how dedicated and hardworking they were towards their dream. They must have been more fatigued then anyone else. Who knows how much they rehearsed while they weren't around. They probably needed today to rest more than anyone. Kaito slowly closed the door, careful to not make a sound. He decided when he treated his sisters and dropped them back home, he'd come back and carry his sleeping friends back home.

* * *

'I hate parties now. How does YOHIOLOID throw one every week?' Kaito thought as he pushed through another group of people. This party was insane, and seemed on the verge of getting out of control. Kaito's ears hurt, the music was so deafening he couldn't speak loud enough to hear himself, he got shoved every five seconds, and he had no idea where he was. What's worse, he gotten separated from everyone, and the sun was setting soon; Which meant they had to perform shortly. Kaito almost lost his balance as once again, he was shoved. At this point he wondered if someone was following him around, shoving him over and over again just to mess with him.

Thankfully, he finally caught a glimpse of someone he knew and dashed through the crowd, embracing her. "Miku! I'm so glad I found you! Did you get lost too?"

"K-kaito... No! I came looking for you! Everyone's waiting, umm..." Miku took a step back, separating herself from Kaito. She tried covering her face with her sleeve, hoping to hide the reddening of her face. 'Should I just ask him to follow me or should I go for it?'

Kaito grabbed her hand, and stepped closer. "I should probably hold on to you, I might get lost again if I don't."

"S-sure! If that's what y-you want!" 'He is into me too! I can't believe it! He's so bold!' Miku led Kaito backstage where the others were. On their way there, YOHIOLOID rolled by, giving Kaito a thumbs up, and whispered 'nice pick' before leaving.

When they finally arrived, everyone was having their own little breakdown. Meiko kept running around, checking everyone's outfit for any kind of rip, or tear. Even the slightest wrinkle made her freak out and straighten their clothes. Len and Rin were taking turns slapping each other, either trying to pump themselves up or smack away the nerves. Luka was practicing breathing techniques with Gakupo, who was only there to provide support to Luka and help keep her calm. Kaito didn't notice till the very last second that his sister and IA each clung to an arm of his. Miku didn't want things to get awkward so she left go of Kaito's hand, and joined Luka in her breathing exercises. "Oni-chan... I feel like I'm going throw up soon. My stomach feels sick. Really. Sick."

"I'm scared Kaito. There's too many people."

Kaito couldn't think of any words of encouragement that would put them at ease. All he could do was be here for them. "Don't tell the others, but I'm going to be in the crowd cheering you all on. I'll make sure to make everyone cheer, so keep it a secret, ok?" IA and Kaiko looked to each other and nodded in agreement. If Kaito said he would get others to cheer for them, it'd definitely happen. They released Kaito, and left to join Miku and Luka, feeling a little more confident about going on stage soon. Kaito snuck back out without anyone noticing. The only reason he wanted to find everyone was to see how his sisters were doing.

In all honesty, he decided on his own that he wouldn't he preforming since the very start. If they all got mad at him, so be it. He wasn't as enthusiatic about becoming a pop star as the others were, and he rather watch than participate. Some how, Kaito actually found the back row all by himself without getting lost. He leaned on the side of the house, watching the sun finally finish setting, night time taking over, filling the sky with stars. "Pretty, isn't it?"

Kaito turned his head. YOHIOLOID sitting beside him, waiting for the show to start. "Yeah, nighttime is pretty nice." He replied.

The blonde chuckled. "That's not what I meant. I'm talking about the girl you picked, it's cause you're into the pretty types more then the sexy types, aren't you?"

"Exactly what did I do to make you think that so randomly?" The bluennete asked peculiarly.

"The teal haired girl you were holding hands with. Man, what a cutie. Good job scoring her, you got a nice girlfriend!" He praised.

"Whoa, whoa, it is not like that! I didn't want to get lost again, so I held her hand. I wasn't thinking of anything like that, I swear."

"Maybe not to you, but she definitely was. Trust me Kaito, I been with enough girls to know the second I see them, who they like in an instant. She's totally into you."

"Really? Huh... It feels kinda nice knowing someone likes me like that."

"Sooo? You gonna go for it?" The blonde asked.

Kaito contemplated on the thought, but his mind seemed unable to imagine what course of action to take. "I... I don't know. I not sure what I'm suppose to do. Maybe... wait?" Kaito asked, hoping YOHIOLOID had an answer for him.

The blonde only laughed though. "Still clueless and innocent as always! Well, take your time trying to figure it out. Knowing you, you'll mess up more trying than just letting it play out. Are you following me?"

"I think so? Be like I always am?"

"Bingo, don't think about it. Finally, the shows starting!" Kaito and YOHIOLOID turned their attention to the stage.

A huge burst of teal smoke exploded on the stage. Miku(Supreme) appeared first on the stage, introducing herself and playing her soundtrack right away, singing _ the world is mine_ for her big debut on stage. Kaito thought her picking that song first was a great choice. It had great rhythm, it was catchy, and Miku could playfully tease the crowd and it matched the song, driving the crowd even crazier. He also reminded himself he had to give thanks to YOHIOLOID later, for setting up all the props and special effects for them; Which amplified the performance. Kaito yelled loudly, praising Miku along with the rest of the crowd. He had to admit, Miku had a certain quality that made you want to cheer her on all the time. Her voice got you energetic and pumped. You felt compelled to join in cheering for her.

Once Miku finished her song, she rushed off stage for the next person to take her place. One by one, they all came out and sung their song. Rin(Reactor), Len(Punkish), Meiko(Blazing), they all had amazing costumes to go with their amazing songs. Finally, Kaito saw what he was waiting for. His sisters appeared on stage. Kaito nudged the blonde, which he then sent a mass text to all his followers in the audience to start revving up the crowd more than they already were. A soft smile graced Kaito's face, knowing how happy his sisters would be afterwards. He even had YOHIOLOID record the performance so they could all watch their first live concert together later.

There was one thing that urked him though. Why was it taking Luka so long come out? Sure, there were short pauses between performers, but this was going on for too long. Kaito was just about to go backstage and check when he heard music blast and saw pink hair twirling its way on to the center of the stage. He remained in his spot as he watched Luka(Conflict) start her performance, not wasting time to introduce herself to the crowd as she sung Stardust Utopia. 'Geez, had me worried there... Those dance moves are as incredible as ever. So...'

He didn't notice himself walking closer to the stage, unable to hear YOHIOLIOD's shouts, asking him where he was going. All that went through his mind was getting a better view of Luka. The way she moved, the way she sung, was completely different from Miku. She was so elegant, calm, and graceful. Even though he knew her well, she still gave off a mysterious vibe that drew you in. The lyrics to her song felt like she was sing from her soul, which was pure and flawless. Kaito somehow was able to divert his eyes from Luka, to the sky. It was a real meteor shower. With this song, it was a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately, Kaito couldn't focus on Luka anymore, as the crowd started cheering so hard they were border lining on rioting. They must have thought that those were the most realistic effects in the world, where in truth it was the real thing, just with uncanny timing. Kaito frowned. The crowd was ruining his view as they wouldn't stay in one spot. Kaito forced his way through. 'Damn it. I gotta get back stage before she finishes. I just want to watch a little more.'

Unfortunately again, he made it back right when she was returning. Kaito gritted his teeth. He didn't get to fully witness her performance, but he bear with it for one reason. 'YOHIOLOID recorded it, so I can just watch it later.' "Hey Luka! Great per-" Kaito twisted his head as he saw Luka dash past him, her hand covering her mouth. He questioned if something had happened in the brief one minute he took to get here, but then witnessed her throw up in a bucket, along with Meiko and Miku.

Apparently, everyone had there own little delayed anxiety attack. Those three threw up after performing, IA and Kaiko passed out, and Rin and Len kept breathing into brown paper bags; Which Gakupo supplied to them endlessly because they kept popping them somehow. Kaito walked over, bent down, and rubbed Miku and Luka's back, hoping it would help sooth their stomachs. He didn't try to helping Meiko, he had a feeling what would make her feel better would make him feel worse. "You guys alright?"

Miku spoke first, being the first to recover. "I'm feeling better now. I think I got the nerves out of my system. Can you help me up? My legs feel like jelly." Kaito helped Miku on her feet. Once up, Miku snaked her arms around his neck and hung there. "Thanks, Kaito-kun!"

"Kun? Since when do you call me that?" Kaito snickered.

"I dunno, I thought it'd be cute to call you that!"

Kaito turned his attention to Luka, who seemed like she just finished emptying all the contents of her stomach. Her arms wobbled as she tried to keep her grip on the bucket; it was evident she couldn't hold on for much longer. Kaito wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up. "You look like you need help too. Feeling better?"

"A little... thanks." Luka said softly. "You should be more concerned about yourself though. You gotta get dressed up soon, the crowd won't wait for you forever."

"Why would they wait for me? I'm not going out theeeerrrrreeeee..." Kaito hated himself for that slip up.

Everyone was glaring daggers at him, and slowing inching toward him. He was unable to move as her already had two stranglers on him. The next thing he knew, Kaito(Rosa Blue) was practically thrown on stage with a violin in hand. With no other options left, he began to play 'Cantarella'. At least all the practice he was forced to do wouldn't go to waste. Plus, the crowd loved him.

He enticed everyone with his soft voice, and astounding them further with his violin solo. While preforming wasn't exactly his thing, he couldn't deny that he was enjoying himself. Bidding the crowd farewell, Kaito rejoined the group backstage. Before anyone could ask how he felt after his first time singing in front of everyone, Kaito bolted to the nearest trashcan and puked. 'I had no idea I was that nervous until it was over...' He hurled once more.

He received hard slapping to his back, turning around to see YOHIOLOID grinning madly behind him. "Nice, man! Nice! Didn't know you had it in you to sing like that! Since you look like you're done coughing up your lunch, introduce me to your friends. I mean, I am the guy who has the stage for them to sing on."

"Sure. Hey guys, this is YOHIOLOID. He's the guy who-"

Meiko, Miku, and Luka shoved Kaito out of the way and grabbed the blondes hand and shook it violently. "Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you!"

'I like how no one thanked me for getting this gig in the first place.' Kaito sighed, it was just his luck. Now that the concert was over, the only thing left to do was enjoy the party, but Kaito was already spent for the night. He also thought it'd be good to get his sister's home, considering they were now sleeping on the floor. It was getting late and a party like this wasn't something he thought they should be at all night.

He bent down, and stirred Kaiko, who was curled up next to IA, from her slumber. Kaiko groaned for a while, but eventually climbed up her brother's back, while IA was to far in her sleep to be woken, so Kaito carried her in his arms. Kaito shook his head, tossing off the mask off his face. Walking home in this outfit was werid enough, but add a mask on while carrying two teenage girls late at night, you were basically begging for trouble.

Before he began his walk home, Kaito felt his arm being poked. It was Luka asking for his attention. "You heading home already?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm done for tonight. Plus, I don't want them sleeping on the floor."

Luka averted her eyes from him, using her hand to grab her other arm. "Would you mind walking me home than? I'm exhausted, and I don't feel like sticking around."

"What about Miku, Meiko, and Gakupo? You guys aren't leaving together?"

"They want to stay and enjoy the party a little more. It's safer if I leave with you, but if you don't want to..." Luka said, slightly dishearten at this point.

"Sure, lets head back to my place first, Kaiko will start whining if she doesn't get in a bed soon." Kaito said.

Luka brightened up, but still averted her eyes from him. Sometimes, Luka wondered why she couldn't look at Kaito at certain times. Asking simple things seemed to require a huge amount of courage for her to ask, and each day it got worse. She just shook it off as embarrassment because she began to ask Kaito for favors or accompaniment often. 'Ugh, I'm being akward. What's with me recently?'

* * *

Kaito was walking Luka home after putting Kaiko and IA to bed, and changing back into his usual attire. "Definitely not me; I'm not made to be enjoy that stuff all that much. Kaito answered back.

"Exactly! I love preforming, but parties don't seem all that fun." Luka said. Both teens chatted away, enjoying conversing with each other.

"You know, Luka, I really like hanging with you one on one. I mean, it's just different when it's just us." Kaito stated, making Luka stutter in response.

"W-what? W-what do you m-mean by that?"

Kaito shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It's just different from everyone else. I look forward to just the two of us hanging out. I can say things I have touble telling others; Maybe because I think you can relate."

"R-really? Thanks. I... feel the same way too." Luka said softly. They had finally arrived a Luka's door step. They both found it a shame that they didn't get to chat more, but it was late and they both had to sleep at some point.

Before Luka opened the door to her house, Kaito spoke once more. "Hey, Luka. You know the summer festival coming up next week? I always take Kaiko and IA, do you want to come too?"

Luka stayed silent for a while, letting the question sink in before responding. "... You want me to come? With you?"

"Of course. Why else would I ask? It'll be fun. Sooooo?"

Luka nodded instantly. "Definitely! I'll see you then." Luka turned to reach for the knob, but Kaito made one last call for her attention.

"One more thing before I leave." Luka turned back around, and was caught off guard by a surprise hug from Kaito, who wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. So shocked from the sudden action, Luka's brain failed to process any kind of reaction back. So she just stood there stunned. His head leaned in, past her face, stopping right at her ear. He whispered softly into her ear, making her shiver from the warm air brushing against her earlobe. "If this place ever feels like to much, don't hesitate to come over and recover at my house. And... I know it's not my place to say anything, but... I know you miss having an older sister. So instead, would you mind being one, to Kaiko. I can't think of anyone better to care for her whenever I'm not around. She admires you so much, and I can see why. I'm glad she wants to be like you."

Luka didn't know what to say, she barely muttered out his name. "K... Kaito..."

"I'm happy... you're all my friends. I'd love to keep living like this. It's better than I've ever lived before. I know I've said this before, but thanks Luka. For being my friend." Kaito removed his arms from Luka and walked away, waving back at her. "See you at the festival Luka!"

Luka watched him walk off with that silly smile on his face. She loved that smile though. It was such an exuberant and genuine smile, which radiated a calming effect to her. She quickly shook off her thoughts off of Kaito though. It was late and she wanted to pass out on her bed. Even so, her mind kept wandering back to him. She figured she considering what he said. 'Could I really do that? Being Kaiko's older sister?'

* * *

"Oni-chan, look how Kawaii I am! Weee!" Kaiko squealed as she spun around the living room, showing off her light blue yukata with white flowers. Unlike Kaiko, IA quietly, but eagerly waited on the couch. She played with the long sleeves of her pink and black yukata, fiddling away as she patiently awaited the arrival of a certain someone. Kaito(Yukata style) took pictures of Kaiko and IA without their knowledge in the mean time. He planned to send pictures to his mom later; He always tried to keep her up to date on how he and Kaiko were doing.

A knock on the door captured everyone's attention. Kaito got up to answer, but his sister beat him to the door. Kaiko yanked the door open, revealing Luka on the other side, carrying a bag. "Luka-senpai! Where's you're yukata? Is it in the bag? Oh, let me help put it on! Let's go to my room, come on!" Kaiko said as she grabbed Luka and dragged her to her room. Luka didn't get a chance to say hi to anyone, she didn't even get a good look at anyone. Kaiko shut the door to her room. "Ok, clothes off!" She yelled as she lunged at Luka to tear off her clothes.

Luka however, barely kept her at bay. "H-hold on! I'm not changing while you can see me!"

"Why not?"

"B-because! It's embarrassing!"

Kaiko stared at Luka for a bit before she got an idea. Kaiko plopped herself on her bed and closed her eyes. "Ok then, I won't look till you need help!" Kaiko cheered.

Luka would argue, claiming that she still didn't want others in the room while she changed, but putting on a yukata by yourself was almost impossible. She sighed. As long as Kaiko didn't look, she should be fine. Luka proceeded to undo her lower half, her slit skirt dropping to the ground. Then she unbuttoned her shirt, took it off, and removed the dark veil underneath. She wasted no time pulling her yukata out and putting it on. All she had left to do was have the belt around her torso tied up. "Kaiko, could you tie the back for me?" Luka asked.

Kaiko shot up, just like her eyes, and assisted Luka. "I got it!"

She tied it for Luka quickly. Luka sat down on the bed, Kaiko following suit. Luka handed her something to tie her hair out to her. "Would you mind doing this too?" "Sure!" Kaiko began to work on styling her hair, tying the back up into a bun.

"Done! Luka-senpai, can you do me now?" Kaiko said as she placed a flower hair clip, and eagerly held her head out for her to do it. Luka questioned what exactly Kaiko was expecting her to do. Putting on a hairclip wasn't a special or difficult task, so it didn't make much sense why she asked. Luka shrugged and clipped it to one of her bangs. "Thanks! Now let's go; Oni-chan and IA have been waiting forever to go!" Both walked out and went to join the other two in the living room.

Kaito caught sight of his sister and Luka and let out a breath. "I thought you were going to take a while but that was pretty fast."

Kaiko bounced in front of her brother. "Oni-chan, Oni-chan, look! Luka styled my hair! See?" Kaiko pointed the flower clip in her hair.

"Yeah, it looks great. She did a real good job."

"What about her? I did her hair too!"

Kaito examined Luka's appearance thoroughly. Luka grew a bit nervous that Kaito hadn't commented on her outfit. "Well? Is it alright?" "That design reminds me of cherry blossoms at night. It really brings out your... what's the word? Radiance! Yup, definitely. You look as amazing as cherry blossoms blooming." Luka blushed harshly. "Thank you."

* * *

At the festival, the four traveled all around the stalls, looking for something appealing for them to do. Kaiko carried a gold fish Luka won for her at the previous stall. Kaito tried to win it for his sister, but the man running the stall banned him from participating after seeing Kaito swat the water so hard with his paper net, splashing others around him. Luka had no choice but to help Kaiko win one. Luka actually ended up wining several fish and gave them to the other kids with that single net she recieved. She handled it so carefully it never tore, but then she was banned because she was too good at it.

IA yanked Kaito over when she saw a certain prize at the cork shooting booth. "Kaito, win me that one! Please, please, please!" IA begged as she pointed at the object of her interest, which was a straw hat that resembled an iconic one on T.V.

"I guess it's about time I showed some of my real skills! Bring it on!" Kaito paid the man and fired of his shots, successfully winning the hat for IA.

"Thanks Kaito, you're the best!" IA put on her new hat and showed it off to Kaiko.

Kaito grinned widely, proud of his achievement. Luka thought it would be funny to poke at his pride, considering what he did to win it. "You seem pretty happy for someone who spent over two thousand yen to get that hat." Luka teased.

"Must you ruin my fun? You know what, here. You try, bet you won't hit a thing." Kaito hand her the rifle and pushed her to the shooting line.

Luka had a difficult time positioning the gun correctly since she had never played the game before. Right before she took her shot, her grip on the gun slipped, making her scramble around the air to catch it. She quickly clutched it to her chest, and when she did, a small pop sound occurred. 'Did I just fire it off by accident?'

She turned around to find the cork so she could return it to the stall, but burst out in a fit of giggles where she saw were it went. Kaito kept a neutral expression on his face. "I was wrong." He said as he snorted out the cork from his nostril.

Moving on, the four went to get food. Kaito settled on kakigori(Shaved ice), Luka got takoyaki, IA got some choco banana's, and Kaiko got a crepe. "Mmm, so good!" Luka said aloud, smiling as she savored the taste of her snack.

"You really like anything that has a fish in it, don't you?" Kaito asked.

"I can't help it, it's too good. And you didn't have to buy me it, I could've got it myself."

"Don't worry about it, I buy food for them every year, so I don't see why I wouldn't do it for you. Plus I love the face you make when you taste something good, it's so cute." He said simply.

"O-oh... well, thanks." Luka averted her eyes from him, feeling her heat beat not faster, but slower and harder. 'Is something wrong with me? This is happening more and more. Breath... *Inhale* *Exhale* ok, better.' Luka looked back at Kaito to find him handing IA and Kaiko two bags, them thanking him and scurrying off somewhere.

"Looks like it'll be just you and me for a while. Want to do anything specific?" He asked.

"Just us? Where are they going?"

"They're both going to release the fish in the pond and feed it, after that they'll feed the birds. They do it every year, but feeding birds is really boring for me. Anyway, wanna go explore the festival more?"

Luka nodded. They stopped at a few more stalls, one to try on masks, another to play a ring toss, and watched some live music. "Hey Luka, I'm going to get some more kakigori, I'll be right back."

"Sure, I'll be over by the taiyaki booth." Luka order some taiyaki from the girl running the stall who was searching for something in the back.

"Coming right up- Luka? Luka! Hey Luka, what are you doing here?"

"Miku!? What are you doing here?"

Miku(Yukata style) laughed. "Silly, I asked that first! My mom thought we should do something different this year to enjoy the festival, so she's running a stall and made me help out. Pity me, I been working against my will! But more importantly, that yukata. Luka, I know what you did and what you're doing."

"Eh? Eh!? W-w-what do you mean?!" Luka stuttered out.

"You can't fool me, you don't own a yukata, and you didn't even tell me or Meiko you were coming to the festival. You think I wouldn't figure it out?" Luka gulped. She hadn't done anything to be nervous about, has she? "You took one of Meiko's costumes for us without asking her, came here so you could look so enjoy the festival, and you didn't tell anyone because you didn't want to get caught by Meiko! Silly Luka, I can see right through you. I'm happy you're wearing that though, you used to be so shy about wearing anything different. You were always like 'No, look away! I'm unworthy!'; Remember?"

"Please don't tell her! She'll kill me if she ever found out I took it!" Luka begged.

Miku patted her head, smiling mischievously. "Relax, I was just teasing. Besides, if I snitched, she'd know I borrowed the one she made for me too! Hehe, your eyes Luka, priceless."

Luka exhaled, feeling relief that Meiko wouldn't hunt her down. "You're mean, Miku."

"Just tease, nothing more! Hey, I bet you're lonely all by yourself here, let's go check out the rest of the festival!" Miku offered.

"Actually, I'm w-"

"Hatsune Miku! You are not leaving this stall to play with your friend! We are far too busy. Sorry Luka, but I need all the help I can get right now." Miku's mother said apologetically.

"It's ok, I already have com-"

"Where's my taiyaki? I've been waiting forever!" One of the customers whined.

Miku and her mother quickly bowed to Luka to show they're remorse and went to attend the rest of the customers. Before she could leave, Miku ran up and placed two taiyaki in her hand with a note on top, and ran back to help her mom with the crowd. Luka unfolded the note, which read _"Bet you're super hungry! Don't worry about the money, I used your best friend special discount! Come to my house later for a sleepover, K?"_

Luka smiled, taking a bite out of her free treat as she went back to meet up with Kaito.

Kaito quickly came into view, along with his two usual companions. "Luka, we've been waiting for you. The fireworks are going to start soon, we going to head to our usual spot."

"Oh, sorry. I'm ready though, so we can go right now."

* * *

At the top of a hill with a few dozen other people, they sat together on the bench. Kaiko claimed her older brother's lap, IA sat on his right and Luka on his left. Kaito ruffled his sisters hairs, being affectionate as always. The two cheered loudly each time a firework off, and made guesses on which one would make the loudest noise when it was shot up in the air. All in all though, it was a long day, and those two were worn out. Soon enough, they had passed out; Kaiko on Kaito's chest, and IA on his shoulder.

"They tire out pretty easily, don't they?" Luka commented.

"Yeah, every year they fall asleep halfway through. It's really hard to believe we're only a year apart."

Luka smiled at him. "Maybe it's because you spoil them so much. Around you, you're always acting either like a kid or a big brother, it makes people want to let go and enjoy themselves."

"So I'm everyone's big brother? Why does everyone hit me so much then? Are big brothers what people used before they invented the punching bag?" Kaito groaned out.

Luka tried to muffle her laughter, but couldn't suppress it very well. "Not like that, baka! I mean, you're always looking after everyone while acting like a little kid. I know I don't need to worry about anything when you're around... Ah! Well, I'm sure everyone else feels the same too, not just me! Others too, definitely others too!" 'I didn't need to say it like that!'

"Thanks, I feel pretty special everyone sees me that way! Oh! Whoa! Look, there shooting out fireworks that make shapes! They've never done that before!" Kaito pointed out excitedly.

Luka exhaled, but panted a little bit afterwards. 'Gah, I scared myself! But... I shouldn't feel so flustered about it anyway. Stop, just stop and think Luka! I gotta figure out what causing this. Think, Luka, think.' Luka moved to cross her arms, but her hands, which were on the bench, so happened to brush against Kaito's.

The instant she felt his hand, she retracted it back to her body like she had just been burned. Kaito didn't seem to notice the contact which relieved Luka, but she couldn't help but try to touch it again. Placing her fingertips on the top of hip, Luka felt constant jolts of electricity pulse through her hand, followed by a warm sensation. Luka moved her focus from her hand to Kaito's face, not believing this was his hand.

Her eyes soon resembled that of a deer's caught in headlights when she found Kaito looking at her with a questioning face. He asked her what she wanted, presuming she only wanted ask him something and this was her way of getting his attention. It took Luka a while to respond, but used an excuse that she flicked a bug she saw of his hand. Kaito believed her and went back to watching the fireworks.

Luka held her hand close to her chest, half her mind occupied about the lingering feel of Kaito's hand, the other trying to rationalize why it would feel that way. After a long internal battle inside her mind, the answer became plain as day. She liked Kaito. Not just a normal like, but the more significant one. The one were you want the other to reciprocate the same emotions to you and only you. She figured at some point she that she might have already have a small amount of feelings for Kaito, and now it grew to the point that she became self aware of those feelings.

Now only one problem remained for Luka to solve. 'W-what do I do now?! What should I do?! Is my hair ok? Am I being too silent? Has he noticed I like him!? If he did, I'll die! I'll die right now! No, it's still Kaito, he still has trouble finding where to put his name on tests, he'll never find out! I How am I suppose to act now, though?'

"Luka."

Luka looked at Kaito who called her. "Thanks for coming, I'm glad someone's actually awake to watch the whole thing with me this time. I don't know many people to ask to come with me places."

"O-oh... yeah. Um, if... you ever want someone to go with you somewhere... I'm usually free." Luka said shyly.

"I'll definitely ask you then."

* * *

Luka sat on Miku's bed, picking a single piece of popcorn from the bowl and tossing it in her mouth. "So what are you going to be doing tommorow?" Luka asked.

"Hanging with my best friend, duh! I can't believe summer vaction is almost over already! Ugh, I don't want to sit through more boring letcures!" Miku complained loudly, taking a handful of popcorn.

"I'd thought you'd be happy to go back, everyone at school likes you. You're basically everyone's friend. You talk to others way more than I do."

"Meh, still don't like class. And don't get a down about yourself again."

"Huh? Did I do that again?"

"Just a little. You gotta get your self esteem up, Luka. You're an awesome person, just shy-ish. Besides, you have me and Meiko, and we want you all to ourselves!"

"Thanks, Miku. Hey, mind if I ask you something?" Luka asked awkwardly.

"Sure, shoot."

"Well... you know how you had a few guys ask you out? I was wondering how you got them to like you like that."

"What I did? I didn't do a thing. All I did was talk to them a few times and out of no where, they confess later and ask me out. I always turn them down though. There's no way I'm gonna date someone I've only known for like a week, it's so random. Why you asking anyway? Ohh, do you have your eye on someone!? Tell me, tell me please!" Miku badgered Luka.

"No, no! I was only wondering how you do it since it's happened a couple of times. You've always been better with others than I am."

"Again, Luka. Stop that. You got you're own charms, like those two big pillow rests!" Miku lunged on Luka and rested her head between her breasts. "Ah, so soft! I wish I had a pair like these."

Luka shoved Miku off her and scooted to the corner of the bed, protecting her chest from Miku. "M-Miku! L-Leave my boobs alone, they're not that great!"

Miku frowned at her. "Then trade with me, I'd love the upgrade..." Miku muttered. "That question was pretty random though. Come on, tell me, whose the guy? Is it Gakupo? I always thought you'd fall for him one day."

"When will you two give up on that? We're just really good friends." Luka told her for the thousandth time every since they first teased her.

"Uh huh, whatever you say, if it's not him, then it's no one. I can't think of anyone else you'd even consider dating."

* * *

Eventually, summer came to an end, and the start of second term began. Kaito had dropped his two usual companions of at school early since this morning since Benkai had sent someone with a message to meet him first thing in the morning before his first day back to school. He rushed over to the junkyard to met up with his past companion. Dashing past a few friendly orphans, he waved until he found Benkai. "Hey, Benkai. What's up?"

Benkai sat in his beanbag chair, shaking in his spot as he held his head down low. "Kaito... I heard something... I was wondering if it was true..."

Kaito stared at him quizzically, wondering what was wrong. "Whad ya hear?"

Benkai slowly lifted his head, staring daggers at Kaito, with such an intensity that it feel like it would set you on fire. "You talked with him. YOHIOLOID. And you been hanging around him too. Explain."

Kaito's eyes went lifeless, devoid of any kind of emotion as he stared right back at him. "Don't feel like it."

"The hell you don't! What the hell Kaito! How could you not finish him off after what he did, and what's worse, you're being all buddy buddy with him!?" Benkai exploded, jumping out of his seat.

"I don't see why I can't hang out my friends when I want to."

"That scumbag isn't you're friend, I am! He shouldn't even be alive!"

"He seems like my friend to me. In three weeks, he's been a better friend then you've ever been. Wait, that's wrong, he can't be a better friend than someone that's never been my friend in the first place." He responded coldly.

"Kaito, you're pissing me off more than usual. Tell me where he is so I can finish him off." Benkai demanded.

"No."

"Kaito... tell me now."

"... Let's do this already."

"... Fine then. You wanna know something? I've been getting sick of you recently. Ever since you've started going to school, you've been growing into a bigger jackass everyday."

"I'm the same as I've always been, you've just never really known me. I'll do as I've always done, beat down anyone who tries to hurt the people I care about."

"Shut it! Well, blue devil, I'll need to kick your ass to hell and back to get it through that thick head!"

"Sorry, you shitty rusty king, but you're being dethroned. I'll at least let you keep a bloody crown."

* * *

Back at school, Meiko and Gakupo were chatting before class. "Yeah, it's true, she's back." Gakupo confirmed to Meiko.

"Great, even I can't take that pyshco bitch. Make the disciplinary committee work overtime or something, just keep her in check and away from us." Meiko said while looking over her shoulder, checking to see if a certain someone was around.

"We'll try our best, but she'll cause some serious damage like always. Zatsune Miku. What a great way to start off the new term."

* * *

**Thanks to:**

**-Cerulean's Sky**

**-MM-Yumi**

**-HaveYouSeenThisOtaku**

**-Cure-chan**

**-TheDelta724**

**For reviewing! Xen, out!**

**Next chapter: The devil's rage**


	11. The devil's rage

Kaito wiped off some dirt off his face before entering the school. Him and Benkai 'parting ways' got intense, but he managed to come on top with only a few bruises that were hidden under his coat. He might have a scuff mark here and there on his face, but nothing too bad. Kaito was still a deadly fighter when provoked just right, and not even Benkai could slow him down when his rage took over.

Unfortunately, his clothes got a bit ruined from the fight, so he changed into his other casual wear (School Uniform Parka). 'Maybe I should head to the nurses office and have her take a look at my bruises. Nah, they might hear about it and ask how I got it. I rather just forget and move on.'

The blue haired teen opened the door, only to get surprised tackled by a certain blonde. "Sneak attack!"

Kaito fell over, clutching the bruise on his lower left ribcage where it had recently been injuried. "Gah! Right in the one spot! Rin, stop doing that!"

Rin snickered as she got up and ran off. "One day I'll K.O. you and be the toughest girl in town!"

"For the last time, I'm harmless! You just look violent attacking me!" Kaito screamed at her, but he doubt she cared. Getting off the floor, Kaito went inside and plopped himself on his desk. He was hoping for a moments rest, but a chop to the head ended it.

He looked up to find Meiko sitting down on the desk in front of him. "Hey Bakaito, I know your always sleepy, but don't ignore people when they say hi. Oh my god, what happened to your face? *snicker* Did you chase after another ice cream truck in the morning and hit a pole again?! Bakaito, you're too much! Hahahaha!"

"Hey, in my defense, that ice cream truck should have- wait, what? Ba-bakaito? Bakaito? Bakaito! Hey, why are you making my name an insult!?" Kaito yelled at her.

"So it was another ice cream truck! K-kaito! You're so hopeless!" Meiko continued to crack up, ignoring Kaito complaints about his new nickname. Once she got it out of system, she began regularly conversing with Kaito. "Ahh, okay, I'm good. But on a serious note, I need to warn you about something. A kid that's been on suspension for a while came back, and she's major bad news. You're already hurt enough as is, she'll mess you up if you so much as look at her the wrong way." Meiko warned.

"You know ninety percent of the pain I get comes from you right?" Kaito remarked.

"Well, she'll triple what I do, and hospitalize you. Avoid her, okay? Look, here's a picture of her." Meiko showed a picture of said student to Kaito on her phone.

Kaito almost face planted on his desk, trying to hold back his shock from the photo. "Holy crap, Miku turned goth! She even put red eye contacts on!"

"No, this isn't Miku you idiot! They just look similar, dumb ass!"

"Ohh, my bad. So what's her name?" Kaito asked.

"Zatsune Miku."

"Seriously? Are you serious? Your not screwing with me?" Kaito asked. Meiko nodded, putting on a dead serious face. Kaito burst out laughing. "Bwahahaha! That's hilarious! Are they cousins or something! Hey, they should pretend to be twins, it'd be awesome! Hey, she's probably trying to rip off Miku, what a copycat! She must be so desperate to be cool!"

"Kaito, I'm being serious here. She hates it the most when people says she looks like Miku. I don't go anywhere near her because I know I won't be able to do anything against her. She's a real monster when it comes to fighting." Meiko stared into Kaito's eyes to get the message across to him, which was received well since Kaito started sweating like a waterfall and shaked in his seat.

"Ummm... Meiko? Do you know anyone that wears a brown jacket, has a mullet and wears black gloves too school?"

Meiko thought about it for a second before it came to her. "Yeah, his name should be Ryo. He's one of Zatsune's followers. Be careful talking about her from now on, if they hear you talk bad about her, they'll tell her and she'll come after you. Why are you asking?" Meiko asked curiously.

"W-well, there was a guy at the door staring daggers at me and he ran off right after I called her a copycat."

"Shit! Damn it, Kaito! Now you're on her hit list! Okay, we can figure something out. Let's put our heads together and think o-" Meiko stopped midsentence as she noticed Kaito halfway out the door.

"I'm going to beg for forgiveness! Spare me Zatsune!" Kaito yelled as he ran off in search of the very thing he should steer clear of.

Meiko faceplamed herself for even thinking for a second that Kaito wouldn't somehow do something stupid. She rubbed her temples, trying to come up with a solution, but nothing came up. A sudden tap on her shoulder gave her a fright, but she calmed down when she found out it was only Luka. "Morning, Meiko. You seem stressed, is there something wrong?" Luka asked worryingly.

Meiko sighed as she had to give out bad news. "Well for one, Zatsune's back."

Luka shuttered at the sound of her name. She recalled one time where she stood up to her when she was picking on Miku and ended up with a bloody nose, a sprained ankle and some of her hair yanked out. What really scared her about that; that was Zatsune showing mercy. "M-Meiko, hide me and Miku." Luka begged as she shook in her seat.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you guys safe. (As long as I can make you avoid each other) The other thing though, Kaito messed up. He made fun of the fact that her and Miku look alike and one of her lackeys overheard. He went to go beg for forgiveness, but odds are he'll get lost and end up back here in a few minutes."

"What are we gonna do? Kaito's in danger! We gotta hide him! Meiko, what are we gonna do!?" Luka asked frantically, hyperventilating as she looked left to right for no apparent reason.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down Megurine, we got time to figure something out. I need you to be your usual calm self, okay?" Meiko said slowly as she put her hands on her shoulders and matched her breathing, making Luka calm down and slow down her breaths. "Good. You know the drill, learn Zatsune's schedule and normal walk routes, and avoid them at all costs."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else within the school... "Shit! It's her!" Said a girl with black hair and twin tails jumped back and ran around the corner.

Zatsune's eyes scanned all the passing students, waiting for the particular one that caught her eye. Soon enough, a blue haired girl skipped by, humming a tune on her way to class. Once she passed, Zatsune exhaled, relieved the walking death trap was gone. There was one thing she never forgot since she used to be an orphan on the streets;

Never go within ten feet of Kaiko Shion. Doing so was something suicidal, to put it mildly. No one dared to provoke her pyshco older brother, the blue devil, who made it very clear early on that if they even got anywhere near her, doctors couldn't heal anything he did. She's fought him before, but never unhinged. She once saw it and almost felt scarred just to bare witness to such an outburst of rage. She hadn't seen him in years, but she could only imagine how terrifying he was now. Zatsune feared Kaito, almost every orphan back then did. She hated feeling fear, and worse, having all these other kids around her happy and carefree. None of them knew hardships like starving, sleeping outside during winters, being the constant scorn of society around you, as adults saw them as parasites that ruined the town's image. It pissed her off more than anything that everyone smiled while complaining about all the luxuries they were granted. The only question now was who she would take her frustrations out on.

Unfortunately, one poor soul happened to just bump into her by mistake and fell on the floor. "Sorry! I didn't see you, I was just in a rush to give someone their bento. I forgot to give it to them before an-" The girl went dead silent as she realized who she crashed into.

"You fucking bitch, sorry doesn't do it for me. Come with me." Zatsune covered the girl's mouth and dragged her off. All students averted their eyes and pretended not to see the teary eyes or hear the muffled cries for help. No one wanted to be Zatsune's next victim.

* * *

"Neru, I think this one will work best! I saw it in a show once and it has amazing power!" Kaito shouted from across the hall. Neru gave him a thumbs up, saying he could try another 'method'. Kaito dashed toward Neru, then jumped in the air, landed on his hands, did multiple spins on his head, and finshed off in the groveling postion at Neru's feet. "Ultimate jumping, spin turn, rolling grovel!"

"Nice, I really felt how pathetic and weak you are, amazing!" Neru praised sarcastically.

"Right?! I've mastered it from watching Beelzebub so many times!" Kaito rejoiced, high fiving his best blond friend.

"I refuse to accept that technique! Something that lame could never work!" Rin screamed. Having to witness this from someone she regarded as cool and badass from all the stories she heard from Kaiko, was embarrassing. Even Len was laughing on the floor next to her, from watching such a degrading action.

"Oh, really?" Kaito ran back to the end of the hall and repeated the entire thing again, but this time he added on more thing. At the end of his grovel, he looked up to Rin and let tears stream down his face like a river. "Please forgive me! I beg for your forgiveness! I'm seriously sorry from the bottom of my heart!"

Rin lip quivered, then she fell to the ground, got in the groveling position as well, and cried like Kaito. "Amazing master! I had no idea that this technique was so powerful! Teach me, master!"

Neru became dumbfounded at Rin's actions. Neru had only been humoring Kaito, she wasn't affected by it at all. It werided her out that it actually worked on someone. She doubted that Kaito apologizing to Zatsune would go well, but worst comes to worst; She'll chuck her phone at Zatsune and run off with Kaito to keep him safe. Neru knew a little about Kaito's past from what he told her, but with the way he acts, it's hard to believe that he could put up a decent fight now. There was that fight she heard he was involved in at the beginning of school, but she wasn't there to witness whether or not he was all that good. She heard he won, but that was it. All Neru hoped for was that this would end as peacefully as possible.

* * *

"Pbblplp! *Gack* *cough* *cough* Sorry! Plea- pblbpbpbp!"

"How dumb are you? I told you before that your sorry ain't worth jack shit. And you want to waste the little bit of air that I let you have apologizing? God, you're pathetic." Zatsune said as she shoved the light-pink haired girls head back into the toilet with her foot. Once she grew bored of this she yanked her out by the hair and threw her in the corner of the girls bathroom.

As she watched gasp for air and cough up water in her lungs, Zatsune tried to think of something more creative to do to her. Swirlies were too mainstream for her and she wanted to do something to really leave some emotional scars on this girl. The bathroom didn't give much ideas, there wasn't much in there to work with. "You. Tell me your name." The girl kept cowering in the corner, sniveling and occasionally coughing more water out of her body. Zatsune walked over and smacked her across the face. "I expect an answer when I tell you to do something, got that? You stupid spoiled brat."

"*cough* I-I-IA." Zatsune smacked IA again. "Good. Now, what do you think is gonna happen to you?"

"I-I-don't know."

IA received another smack to the face. "You can't think of something, dumb bitch. Geez, what can I do here? Oh, I bet people don't do that often." The raven haired twin tails went over to the soap dispenser and loaded one hand full of soap. She returned to her victim and bent down. "Hey, look at me for a sec."

IA unwillingly turned her head to face Zatsune. Zatsune shoved the soapy liquid in her eyes, making her scream out in pain as she desperately tried to removing the burning substance from her eyes. "That looks painful. You know what? I'll be so nice as to let you go to the sink and wash it out. Go on." Zatsune mocked as she stood up and gestured to the sink.

IA squirmed around on the floor, trying to remove the soap from her eyes, but failed. Unable to open her eyes because it was far more painful, she crawled on the floor, having the wall guide her to the sink. IA felt deliverance as she felt a cool pipe which had to be connected to the sink. Her hand scanned the sink all over for the knob, unaware of the sinister smile behind her.

Zatsune kick the back of IA's head, making it crash into the sink and break her nose. She cried as she suffered through more of Zatsune's cruelty. "Geez, now what's left to do to you?" Zatsune paced back and forth, trying to think of one more despicable thing she could do.

IA crawled back to her corner, curled up and began crying again. She saw no end to this bullying. Everyone ignored her being taken away so they could keep themselves safe, who could she call to save her? Then she remembered one person she could always rely on. The one person who'd never give a second thought to protect you, regardless of the situation. IA was about to scream out his name, but that's when Zatsune punched her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She lost her voice, focusing more on regaining regular breathing.

"Hold still, the idea just hit me." Zatsune forcibly removed IA's bra and panties, and began walking out the door. Before she left, she gave her victim parting words that made her choke more on her tears. "I'll be sure to give these to some freak that'll tell the whole school he fucked you and say how much of a slut you are. Later! Haha!" Zatsune shoved the stolen articles of clothing in her skirt pocket. She headed back to her class and decided one of her lackeys could take them and spread some lies. She had almost made it back when a familiar voice call her name.

"Zatsune!" She turned her head around with a scornful expression. "Who the hell thinks-" The scorn soon turned to terror as she saw who it was. There was no mistaking him, even if it's been years since she's saw him. That blue hair, eyes, hoodie, and the headphones; he may have gotten bigger, but he looked just the same as before. Kaito Shion, the blue devil. But what could he want with her when she steered clear of his sister. Her memories of Kaito resurfaced, which systematically affect her body. She started feeling weak in her knees, her stomach churned, she hyperventilated, and sweat rolled down her face. "B-but I... stayed away from her..." She whispered softly. Her heart beat faster and faster as Kaito ran down the hall toward her. Then it skipped a beat as he leap in the air. 'No. No. No!'

Kaito landed on his hands, spun around and assumed the groveling position. "I'm seriously seriously super sorry, please forgive me!" For a short moment, Zatsune's mind went blank. Nothing could explain what just happened. Kaito, the blue devil, the monster that sometimes haunted her in her dreams, was groveling at her feet and begging for forgiveness.

'How... did he end up like this? Does he not remember me? He's... pathetic... so pathetic!' Zatsune grinned like a madman as she kicked him straight at the wall. The relief, the elation she felt from finally never having to worry about any kind of threat in her life, and being free from the bane of her nightmares was pure ecstasy. She was so happy, she forgot about Kaito and went to her class, liberated from her fear.

"Oww, my stomach. Is that forgiveness. At least I think I'm off the hook, and she's not too pissed off." Kaito whined as he picked himself off the floor.

Neru ran to Kaito's side, and began patting him down everywhere to check for any additional damage. "Thank god your still in one piece. You're lucky things didn't turn out worse."

"I told you I could get myself out of it. Take a lesson from anime, some of that stuff really works!"

Neru lightly smacked the back of his head. "It's luck, Bakaito."

"Hey! Is that becoming a trend!? Who told you that!? It was Meiko, wasn't it!? She's trying to ruin my good name, she's LITERALLY trying to ruin my good name!"

* * *

Kaito strolled back to his class before it began. Upon entering, he was swarmed by concerned face's, mainly Luka, Miku, Meiko, and Gakupo. Miku and Luka rushed to him first, frantically checking the bruises on his face, and amazingly enough, asking in sync if he was injured anyway else. Their concern was much more apparent then the others. "Are you ok?! You're beat up, did Zatsune do this to you?! Are the bruises hurting?! Are there more?! You need to go to the nurse now!" Being bombarded with so many questions made it hard to answer any of them.

Meiko pulled them both back and had Gakupo hold both of them back. "He had those marks on him since the morning, he ran into another pole chasing after the ice cream truck again." Meiko gave Kaito a swift smack to the back of his head.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Making us worry! You could have gotten hurt real bad, you can't do something that stupid and not expect us to hit you. Think a little more before going off like that."

Kaito smiled sheepishly. Part of him was sincerely sorry, but he couldn't help smiling when her heard they were so concerned. It made him feel good his well being mattered so much to them. "On the bright side, I got off the hook with just a kick and a smack."

* * *

Kaito boredly stared at the teacher drone on about things he didn't care for or understand. He didn't understand what was so terrible about Zatsune. Sure, she wasn't very nice considering she kicked him, and pretty hard too; But that didn't really live up to all the panic everyone displayed. He felt his phone vibrate, so he flipped it open and checked it out. He was hoping it was from Neru, asking to skip class with her again, but it was sister instead. Slightly disappointed, he read the text.

_'Oni-chan! SOS! Nurse's office! Emergency! Help now!'_

Kaito raised his hand and asked for permission to leave. He could feel the eyes of his friends follow him as he left. They likely thought that he lied about not being injured by Zatsune before and he was leaving to go get the pain relieved.

Once he shut the door behind him, he sprinted toward the nurse's office. Kaito threw open the door to the nurse's, and needed no explanation as to why it was an emergency. IA sat there next to Kaiko with wet hair, a bloody bandaged up nose, and bruises all over her face and body. Kaito rushed over to IA and held her close to him. He was shocked that felt her pushing him back and hugging herself.

"Kaito... please don't. I don't... she took my... my clothes... underneath..."

Kaito ignored her and hugged her anyway. "That's not important now! I just want to keep you safe in my arms."

IA wanted to resist, but she couldn't help sinking her face into his chest and let her tears flow. It felt so warm, so safe. All she wanted now was to stay there forever, and forgot everything that was done to her.

"IA, how'd this happen to you?"

IA whimpered more on his chest. It was hard for her to talk about it, but toughed it out and spoke. "I was beat up. I was dragged to the bathroom and... she kept hitting me, drowning me in the toilet. Then she took some of my clothes and said she was gonna give it to someone, and spread rumors to make me look like a slut." IA squeaked out.

"Tell me who did it, I'll fix everything, I promise." Kaito asked.

"It was Zatsune."

Kaito's eyes raged as he went through thoughts in his head. 'Zatsune? The girl I groveled in front of? The one I just begged for mercy? She's the one that hurt IA, who never does anything wrong!? She did this!? She doesn't even have a reason to pull this shit!' Kaito voice contradicted his thoughts, coming out calm and cool. "Where's the nurse? Isn't she suppose to be here?"

"She went to go get something for me to wear so I don't walk around... without them."

"I see. That's nice of her. IA, do you want to go somewhere afterschool, to get your mind off of this?" Kaito asked. IA shook her head, not feeling like going out anywhere today. "That's fine. I gotta head back to class, I can't be gone all day. I'll be back as soon as I can. Kaiko, keep her company." Kaito got up and waved goodbye to his sisters as he left.

In the hall, Kaito bumped into a student that arrived late to school and was rushing to class. "Sorry! Please excuse me!"

"Wait, before you go, do you know which classroom Zatsune's in?"

"Um, it's 3A, sorry I really gotta go!" The student rushed off quickly to class.

'3A. Zatsune.' Kaito threw on his hood and descended down the wall.

* * *

Zatsune sat in her seat in class, laying back as she watched her lackeys drove the teacher mad. The constant spit balls, paper balls and airplanes thrown on him were trying his patience. He reached his limit when a student went up and pulled down his pants in front of the class. The fuse in him blew and he stormed out of the room to retrieve the principal to discipline his out of control class.

Most of them were well behaved, the main problem was the four problem kids in the class. Those of which were Zatsune and her followers. The boy who had recently caused the teacher to storm out laughed as he banged his fist on the teacher's podium. "I finally made him lose it, haha! Shit, I don't think I feel like sticking around anymore. Zatsune, I'm going to ditch for the rest of the day, later."

Zatsune merely lifted her hand and lowered it back on her desk, not caring whether or not he stayed.

The boy reached for the door when a kick from the other side split it in two horizontally and sent it flying. The now broken door hit the kid straight in the face, fracturing his forehead and hitting him in his abdomen. The force shot him back and he collided with the window, cracking it and knocking him out.

He was lucky the he wasn't knocked through it or it would have been a fall from the third floor. Most of the students were too shocked to process what happened, except for Zatsune and her two remaining lackeys. They were used to this sort of thing. New tough guys on the block always came by to prove their strength by challenging the known 'bosses' of the area, and Zatsune was one of them. She always put them their place, but she had a feeling this one might have a bit more substance. Not only was that a flashy way to break in, this person already defeated one of her own, most likely not intending to when they kicked the door. Zatsune thought she might take this person under her wing if they could put up a good enough fight.

That foot that kicked the door opened stomped in, cracking the floor beneath it. Keep in mind, it was a very small crack, but the mere fact it could crack the floor put them on high alert. This wasn't any average street brawler barging in. The rest of the strangers body entered in. His face couldn't be seen too well, only a hooded figure with headphones around his neck, blue hair and blue eyes that pierced through you. It jerked it's glare at Zatsune, gritting it's teeth hard before screaming.

"ZATSUNE!"

It was at that moment where Zatsune lost all confidence. He was back. The blue devil was back. Kaito Shion was pissed off, and he wanted her head. 'W-what?! Me? Wait, this was the guy groveling at my feet earlier. That can't be. But what does he want with me? I didn't break his rules, I didn't go anyway near his sister. So why? Why is after me!?'

Zatsune got up from her seat and took a step back. Her instincts were telling her to run, turn around and run as fast as she could. It didn't matter where, just escape, but her feet refused to move. Her lackey's didn't know the true terror of Kaito Shion's, and lunged at him. Once they were within reach, the both threw a punch at him. Kaito took a step forward, passing their fists. In an instant he grabbed both of their heads and smashed them together. They both fell to the ground, gripping their heads in pain.

Before they could recover, Kaito grabbed a desk that a student was sitting in, who jumped out the second he did, lifted it up and began beating the two with it. Their screams filled the room, growing louder and louder each time the desk came crashing down on them. Kaito stopped when he heard a cracking sound from them. Those two got in his way and they paid the price. Anything that tried to interfere would learn to never block him from his target. His cold, dark, rage filled eyes glared at Zatsune.

"ZAATSUNNEE!"

Zatsune bolted out of the room, her body moved of it's own violation. It knew it was time to run. Kaito chucked the desk at her, but missed. It crashed into the wall and broke into many pieces. Zatsune slammed the door behind her, hoping it would slow him down at the very least. Those hopes where shattered when the door was broken by another kick from the savage. Zatsune ran as fast as she could, but Kaito was catching up to her fast.

Before she got within his grasp, members from the disciplinary committee were approaching them from the front, armed with wooden swords. "You two, cease movement or we'll have to use force! You two were the ones harassing the teacher and making all that noise, weren't you?!"

Zatsune slid across the floor, slipping past both. Both students were shocked that she didn't bother attacking, but they're bigger concern was the unknown hooded stranger following Zatsune. They couldn't tell if this person was with or against Zatsune. It was hard to say which scenario was worse, but the only thing that was clear was this person needed to be stopped as well. Neither had even moved to attack, but Kaito was already in the mist of his strike. His knee connected with one student's stomach. He gasped in pain, but still retained his conciseness. He stepped on Kaito's foot that still remained on the ground, grabbed one of his arms with his free hand, and swing his sword with the other at Kaito. He thought he had him, but he didn't expect Kaito retracting his knee back so fast and lifting his foot that was being held down by his to be so easily lifted. Not only that, Kaito's foot extended all the way up and kicked his neck. He flew back and hit the door of a classroom loudly.

The other student took this opening he had while Kaito's foot was so high to swing straight for his face, which connected and turned his head hard. It didn't faze Kaito at all though. He just stared back at him with a bloody lip. Kaito got his foot back on the floor and proceeded with his counterattack. It terrified the student that he dealt a direct hit on the strange hooded figure with full force and he wasn't the least bit stunned.

He lifted his wooden sword over his head and went to strike his head. His actions came to a halt though. A light, but extremely fast jab hit his cheek and rattled his brain, rendering him in a frozen state. He tried to strike his sword down, but Kaito spun around, making him more dizzy since his mind couldn't coordinate with his eyes very well. One hundred-eighty degrees into the spin, Kaito raised his foot up high in the air. Another one hundred-eighty degrees and his heel connected with the side of the students head. The kid spiraled into an opened door's classroom. Many students, along with teachers, went to check the source of all this noise and saw two disciplinary officers taken down, and a Zatsune that seemed to be on the run.

"ZATSUNE!"

Kaito sprinted after her again and caught up in mere seconds. Zatsune had to face facts, she can't outrun Kaito. She had to face her greatest fear, the blue devil, and fight for her life. She tried to convince herself things could turn out different from before, that she could put up a decent fight against him. She was out of options. It was now or never; sink or swim. Zatsune turned around to face the raging beast chasing her.

Kaito threw the first punch, which she blocked with both hands. Zatsune quickly jumped, avoiding Kaito's leg sweep he usually followed up with whenever he felt his punch would miss or be blocked.

With his back exposed, she went to land the first blow with her fist. She didn't expect Kaito to be able to stop her punch with his hand extending behind his back; with that position, blocking would lose a lot of power and an attack might break through, but he held it. With his other free arm, he went to hit Zatsune using the back of his fist. Zatsune jumped up and kicked his fist, which bounced her back and gave her distance from Kaito.

Kaito closed the distance between them again and they both exchanged blows straight to the face. Kaito was barely affected, while Zatsune had to bear with the pain and power through. If she slowed down for a second, she'd be done for. They kept throwing punches and kicks, mostly evading and blocking; Occasionally, they landed very minor blows to each other, barely making contact. They moved at such high speeds that a professional martial artist might not be able to keep up. The real damage done was to various disciplinary officers attempting to stop the fray, only to be brutally beaten down by the both of them. Kaito beat them because he saw them as getting in his way of the target. Zatsune did it because she couldn't afford to have anyone else to think about other than the monster in front of her for too long.

Another punch thrown by Kaito with a leg sweep that followed, Zatsune jumped over with ease. This time though, Kaito stopped his leg right when it got under her. Using the leg he used as his pivot point, he lunged sideways toward Zatsune, and elbowed her in the abdomen. That direct hit stunned her with the force concentrated into one small spot. She couldn't land on her feet and fell to the floor. The despair set in for her. She was finished. She wasn't going to recover in time to stop Kaito's next attack, which would lead to an onslaught of more hits.

Kaito grabbed Zatsune by the hair and kicked the side of her ribs hard. Pain coursed throughout her body as more punches and kicks nailed her relentlessly. Her bruised body, bloody lip, and black eye didn't slow Kaito down at all. He kept wailing at her without remorse.

Soon, he grabbed Zatsune's arm and slammed her over and over into the wall and floor. He was about to swing her again, but his grip slipped when he heard a popping sound and Zatsune flew through the air, and landed right at the stairwell. She screamed in pain as she clutched her right arm. Kaito had thrown her with enough force so many times that her arm dislocated from her shoulder. Zatsune struggled to pick herself up off the floor. Fear took control of her body once again, refusing to move. She teetered back and forth, barely keeping herself from falling down the stairs.

'I... I... no one's gonna stop him. I can't take anymore. I should have just ran. No one I knew before is around that could at least keep up with Kaito. That's what everyone did when we found out how much of a pyshco Kaito is. We ran... we always ran to you... I always went to you... I wish... I would have went with you instead sometimes, instead of finally being adopted. I miss you...' Zatsune teared up as she saw Kaito getting closer to her. "YOHIOLOID!"

"Shut it, bitch!" Kaito threw his punch at Zatsune, not caring what could happen to her if he knocked her down the stairs.

"Kaito, stop it!" Shouted a person as they stood in front of his target.

Kaito's bloodlust grew now that someone else tried to stop him from getting to Zatsune. "Shut up and go to he-! Meiko?" Kaito redirected his punch at the last second and it went past the side of her head, slightly brushing against the ends of her hair.

Unfortunately, he threw the fist with such force, and his last second redirection made him lose balance. He ended up going past Meiko, and knocking Zatsune with his whole body down the stairs; And fell down with her. They tumbled down the stairs like ragdolls, bouncing everywhere they possibly could before smacking hard into the ground. Zatsune yelled loudly in pain. She had landed on her dislocated arm, and her ribs were severely bruised from repeatedly hitting every stair in unfavorable positions. She'd crawl away if she could, but her body refused to move.

She could see from the corner of her eye, Kaito picking himself off the floor. Zatsune couldn't comprehend how he could get up so easily. He seemed impervious to any type of damage, always brushing it off as if it didn't happen. Kaito menacingly stood over her before pulling her up by collar of her shirt. Zatsune prayed, prayed that she would be knocked unconscious fast so she wouldn't have to feel all of Kaito's fury. Right before Kaito's fist connected, he heard his name screamed again by familiar voices. He turned his head up the stairwell, finding Meiko, Miku, Luka, and Gakupo at the top, looking at him with concern. One face in particular triggered one of many memories Kaito had thought he had thrown away.

_"Kaito, stop. I'm safe see? You're scaring everyone... and me. You can stop."_

Kaito dropped Zatsune and ran. He ran and ran. Straight out of school, through the streets. He didn't stop running because he felt like his past was chasing him, trying to grab him and force him to relive events in his mind he forced out.

* * *

Kaito wasn't sure what time he came home exactly, but the sun finished setting as he turned the knob to his abode. When he entered, all of his friends were sitting around in the living room, waiting for his arrival. Kaito walked past them, ignoring the dozens of questions and scolding's that were shot at him. He entered his room and threw himself on his bed, and stared up at the ceiling.

Everyone followed him inside and tried talking to him, but he remained unresponsive. Kaito was informed that the school suspended him and Zatsune for a month, and that he was lucky getting just that. He heard everything they said, but never gave back a reaction. Silence was the only thing he offered them. Eventually, they all left. They wanted to stay and help Kaito; figure out what made him act like this, but he was in such a blank and empty state that it was hopeless to try to communicate with him.

Kaito couldn't tell how much time he wasted staring at the ceiling. All he wanted was to stop thinking, to not remember. He broke out of his trance when he heard his door open. Most likely his sister or IA came in to tell him dinner was ready or something along the lines of that. He didn't feel hungry though, only hallow. To his surprise, he felt someone sit next to him at the foot of his bed. Kaito ignored whoever it was and kept his eyes fixated up. Eventually, they'll leave, he thought. Even after half an hour, the person never moved from their spot. Slowly, but surely, his irritation grew. Didn't they get that he wanted to be alone?

'How long are they gonna sit there?!' Kaito figured he'd have to tell whoever it was to leave, so he sat up. Upon looking at the person, his heart skipped a beat and started pumping rapidly, but calmed down when he realized it was just Luka. "Go away, I wanna be alone."

Luka twirled her hair around her finger and looked at it like it held such great interest.

"Hey, I said leave." Kaito repeated.

Luka looked away and continued swirling her hair around her finger.

"Hey! Don't pretend like you don't hear me! LEAVE. NOOOOW."

Luka turned to Kaito and pointed to herself with a questioning look on her face.

"Who the hell else!?"

Luka pointed to Kaito.

"Why would I be telling myself to leave!? *sigh* Fine, you win. What do you want from me?"

Luka reached down into a bag on the floor, and pulled out a spoon and a cup of chocolate mint chip ice cream. She offered it to him, which he snatched instantly. It didn't matter what happened, ice cream overrode anything on Kaito's mind. He was disappointed that it was half melted, but enjoyed it anyway.

After a couple of scoops, Kaito spoke to Luka again. "So... thank you."

"It's fine, I'm just glad that you're back to normal. You scared everyone... and me." Luka said as she brought her knees up and hugged them.

Unfortunately, this one phase triggered a mini explosion of memories and emotions inside of Kaito's mind. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets as he hung his head low. 'Why, why are you saying exactly what she said? Don't. Don't. Don't look at me the same way she did, don't give me that disappointed look!'

"But, you know... I'm sorry for being scared." Kaito's head shot up and looked up stared at Luka, wide eyed. "Back there, it was crazy. I could hardly believe it was you. I didn't want to believe it was you. But, the thing is... I don't really know everything about you. But there is one thing I definitely know about you though, and it's that your not a bad guy. Meiko knew it too, that's why she knew she wouldn't get hurt standing between you two. None of us think any worse of you, so don't worry about it, we just want to make sure you don't hurt yourself, okay?"

'It sounded so similar... but it ended differently...' Kaito shifted from his spot and sat next to Luka, pausing before responding. "You're not disappointed in me?"

"Why would I be? We found out what Zatsune did to IA, if anything, we're glad you did. We don't expect you to be some anime protagonist that acts calm and in control of your emotions, it's not realistic. We don't want you to lose it like that, but who wouldn't after what she did." Luka sympathized.

Kaito cracked a smile, his stoic state had been washed away. "I see. Well, thanks for sticking around. I bet it wasn't easy dealing with a mopy me." Kaito joked.

"It isn't easy dealing with you all the time." Luka teased.

"Ouch! Mean. Why can't you treat me nicer?"

Luka shrugged while giggling. She got off his bed and dusted off her outfit. "It's getting late, and unlike you now, I have school tomorrow. I guess... I'll see you when you're suspension's over; Since you'll won't be at school... and stuff."

"Or you could come visit afterschool. I'll be here you know." Kaito stated.

"O-oh! Yeah, right! S-silly me, I can still stop by!" 'Silly me!? What is wrong with me?! Just ask before the conversation gets too awkward!' Luka hid her hands behind her back while she twiddled her thumbs, not wanting signs of her feelings to be displayed so obviously. "W-well, uh, I-um, you know that sushi shop downtown? They have some rare tuna for a limited time, so was wondering if you wanted to, you know, go... with me?"

"Sure, I'm not too into seafood, but I got a lot more free time now. Tomorrow sound good?" Kaito asked.

"Y-yes, it's perfect! I mean, um, ok! Bye!" Luka rushed out of his room, eager for tomorrow.

Kaito finished off what little ice cream was left and tossed it in his trashcan. He got up and closed the door to his room. When it closed, he smiled, but tears escaped from his eyes. "So similar..." Kaito walked back and threw himself back on the bed.

'They look way too similar. And they act the sam- no, no thats not true. Luka acts different. But... I bet _that's_ the same too. I tried so hard. I went so far. I always did my best just to make you smile, no matter how dumb it made me look. But you didn't feel the same way. I don't see why you would. Was I really any good? I was content though. Even if you'd never feel the same way, even when you were basically 'with' Benkai, I didn't care. You were the only person I think I loved like that, Leia. I don't think anyone would want to love me back, you wouldn't. Yet I kept smiling for you. I never changed a thing between us, I went on like always. I cared for you as much as I could and you'd give all the affection I wanted to Benkai. Yep, _that_ will be end up the same for the rest of my life, won't it? All girls will always see me as a good friend at best. I guess that's fine, I have nothing to offer. YOHIOLOID was probably wrong about Miku, she's always nice to everyone, why would it be any different for me?'

Kaito took a deep sigh, having one last thought before he fell asleep, wanting to forget about today. 'Why am I always self loathing so much just because I got rejected one time? I'm so pathetic.'

* * *

**Sorry for such a long update, I've been a little busy. I'll try to get the next chap up around Christmas, that's when all the s**t starts going down!**

**Thanks to:**

**\- Cure-chan**

**\- TheDelta724**

**-HaveYouSeenThisOtaku**

**For reviewing! Xen out!**


	12. A Cruel Unfortunate Turn of Events

**Sorry for such a long break, I have been way too busy lately. Anyway this long over do chapter is finally here!**

**Enjoy!**

**P.S. changed my name to Masasa**

* * *

**A**

**Cruel**

**Unfortunate**

**Turn of**

**Events Part 1**

* * *

Snow lightly fell around as Kaito walked with Miku(Memoria) downtown. As usual, Miku had her arms wrapped around his. Small amounts of snow built up on the sidewalk and roads. The town was basically covered in a light blanket of snow.

It was already mid-december and winter break was just around the corner, along with Christmas and New Years. Miku had invited Kaito to help with her holiday shopping, and they had been window shopping for quite a while. Miku had bought a few small things and now they were heading to a small cafe to take a break and warm up. Miku went to go secure a table while Kaito went to order drinks. "Two hot chocolates please! With extra marshmallows!"

"Kaito stop yelling orders when you come in here!"

Kaito cringed when the owner snapped at him. He could understand why though. The café was completely packed with people during the holidays and the owner got stressed from all the extra business and not enough workers to divide it up. Once Kaito received his drinks he apologized and went to find where Miku was sitting. He found the booth she was sitting in, sat next to her and slid her drink to her. "Thanks Kaito! How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it, it's my treat. I was the one who wanted some anyway."

Miku obliged and took a sip of her hot cocoa. "Whoa! It's at the perfect temperature!"

Kaito chuckled at Miku's astonishment. "I know right? I always bring IA here, it's her favorite cafe during winter. The owner always does it just right." Kaito and Miku chatted for a while, playfully nudging each other. They told each other what kinds of gifts they thought they would receive from their circle of friends, teasing each other how off each guess was.

"You wish!" Miku quickly looked around the cafe, catching Kaito's attention.

"You ok, Miku? Did you notice something weird?"

Miku took one more quick glance around before letting out a sigh of relief. "Nothing, it was just a feeling. Well, more like I was expecting something to happen." Kaito gave her a questioning look. Miku felt a little embarrassed about what she was about to ask Kaito, but she didn't feel like beating around the bush. "Kaito, do you like hanging out with me alone?"

Kaito gave her a warm smile. "Of course. It's a lot of fun, I get to act super ridiculous, and you join in on it too. It feels weird sometimes if I'm the only one being goofy."

"Do you ever invite people whenever we are?"

"No. I only did that once and that was the beach; but we planned that, and you knew cause I asked you. Why?"

"I guess it's nothing, but every time we're alone, a little while late-"

"Kaito? Miku? Hey, Luka! Look! It's Kaito and Miku!"

'And there it is!' Miku screamed in her head. Every single time they were alone, someone they knew was always conveniently there sooner or later. Last week, Miku was mere seconds from confessing to Kaito at the amusement park, but Neru, Rin, and Len happened to be there because they won free tickets at a local festival's lottery. The week before that, Miku tried another confession when Kaito was teaching her how to roller-skate. Kaiko and IA suddenly yearned to know how to skate on their own and failed miserably. Or even last month's mishap. Long story short, everyone yelling '_Surprise! Happy birthday, Meiko!'_ ruined the moment. And today's romance killers were none other than Meiko and Luka, her best friends.

Meiko (Noel Rouge) slid down on the other side of the booth, Luka following short after, carrying two cups of hot cocoa. Luka wore her usual attire except for winter she put on a thin tan sweater, and a thin brown coat with no buttons or zipper, which made the front always open; Also a pair of white mittens to top it off. "So what have you two been doing all day?" Meiko asked.

"I've been helping Miku with her Christmas shopping, and she's helping me with mine."

Meiko tried to peer into Miku's small bag. "Is mine in there!? Oh, show-"

Miku cut her off before she could continue. "We haven't started looking for yours yet. And even if I had it I'm not spoiling the surprise!"

"Oh, so you didn't get mine yet?! I see how it is."

Kaito held in a smart remark, he rather not be in a choke hold. It was a shame too, because he really wanted to use it. He turned his attention to Luka, who was quietly sipping her cocoa, savoring the taste while it warmed her body. "Luka, are you and Meiko Christmas shopping too?"

Luka looked down at her drink, a blush slowly forming around her already slightly pinkish cheeks. "Y-yeah."

"Are you okay walking around like that? It's been snowing pretty hard lately, and it's a little windy today too."

Luka shook her head while keeping it down, hiding her smile from Kaito showing concern for her. "I'm fine, really. I wasn't planning on being out that long either, so I'll be okay."

Kaito stared at her skeptically. He knew Luka wouldn't admit if she was uncomfortable, and he worried for her health. He always kept in mind how physically weak Luka was and always kept caution on what he did around her, lest he injure her. "If you say so. But just in case, here." Kaito removed his scarf and wrapped it around Luka's neck. Luka stared wide-eyed at him. Her light blush exploded and completely turned her face beet red.

She was thankful that Kaito's scarf covered her cheeks, she'd die on the inside if everyone could see how her face glowed brighter than Christmas lights. Though her, Miku and Meiko, were shocked that Kaito did what he did. He actually gave someone his scarf. He never parted with his trademark accessory, no matter the condition. They asked him in the past why he liked it so much, but there was no special reason why he felt so attached to it. He received it as a present from his grandparents as a child and he felt like he was meant to have that scarf; even though it was ridiculously oversized for someone of his size back then. He wouldn't even yield it when Meiko tried to take it before.

"Are you three okay? You've been staring at me for a while now." Everyone thought to say something, but they assumed Kaito would casually shrug it off and say they're overreacting.

Miku whined inside her head. 'Darn it, I should have covered up less. Thank god they're not interested in each other. *sigh* I wish he could show me some special treatment too.'

"Make sure you give my scarf back later, k?" Kaito asked. Luka responded with a quick nod.

Meiko went changed the conversation into something she'd been wanting to talk about. "So are you guys going to participate this Friday? I'm thinking I'm gonna give it a shot with the rest of the class." Kaito, Miku, and Luka looked at each other and shrugged.

Kaito spoke up first. "I think I'm gonna pass, that's more of an American thing. It seems kinda weird."

Luka went next. "Plus we don't know much about it besides we show up and dance for no reason. Isn't that basically a party?"

Miku was the last to voice her thoughts. "I usually love going to any type of party, but it feels awkward doing it at school. What's makes it so special anyway? I don't get why the student council approved it."

Meiko smirked at them, confident that she could change their minds. "Well guess what? I happened to do some research and learned all about American high school dances."

"You did research? Oh, so that's why it's so cold this winter. You'd think word about Hell freezing over wou- guu!" Meiko instantly stretched across the table and punched Kaito in the gut. Sometimes, Kaito hated that smart mouth of his.

"What was that again?" Meiko said menacingly. All that could be heard from him was a small, high pitch squeak. "Good. Anyway, American high school kids look forward to it all year. It's basically an approved party inside school after hours. They style it up to look like a club and all dress up into their sexiest clothes and dance."

Miku was much more interested in it now that she knew a little more about it. "Whoa, so it's like we pretend to be in a real adult club? Sweet!"

This new info even peaked Luka's interest. She was excited that she could show off her dance moves, but she also looked forward to dressing up. She didn't have many opportunities to; plus she didn't have the clothes either. Luckily, Meiko always lent her something of hers, mostly due to the fact that Meiko clothes were the only ones in their group of friends that was of similar size. "It does sound a kinda fun now. Maybe we should give it a shot."

"And that's not even the main point of it. It's all about getting a date." Miku and Luka stared at Meiko, waiting for her to go on. They were hooked on now more than ever. "These events are basically a good excuse to ask someone out in the most casual way. They treat it like a trial date, in a way. Ask the person you like to go with you, if you guys enjoy yourselves, you're pretty much an item afterwards. If neither is feeling it, they call it quits and join their friends hanging somewhere else around. They play it off as social experimentation and move on with no hard feelings. If you ask me, it's a safe way to try out a date. Hey, Kaito, you listening?" Meiko asked.

Kaito was still keeling over on the table, but gave a thumbs up as confirmation. "So what do you guys say now? Wanna go?" Luka and Miku gave her a nod, eager for this Friday. "And you Kaito?"

Kaito finally recovered and joined back in the conversation. "Sure. I'd feel like a loser if I was the only one that didn't go."

Meiko let a sly grin before asking the next question to the group. "So, anybody have someo-"

"Oh man, Miku, doesn't that one store close early today that you wanted to go to?" Kaito interjected.

"Oh god, I almost forgot!"

Kaito grabbed Miku's hand and pulled her up. "If we hurry we might still make it! Let's go!"

"Whoa, wait up! We'll go with you!" Meiko offered; though she really wanted an answer from everyone all at once from her last question.

"Sorry, I kinda wanted to be with just Miku today, no extras. Maybe next time. Come on, Miku!" Miku blushed as Kaito grabbed her hand again as he pulled her to the next store.

Miku felt embarrassed, yet excited that Kaito had said that. Just a few minutes ago, she wanted special treatment from him, and she had got it. He wanted to be with her and only her today. With his recent act, Miku firmly made up her mind. 'I will. I'll definitely ask Kaito to go to the dance with me.'

Back at the table, Luka and Meiko were in a stunned state, for very different reasons. Luka self esteem plummeted when she heard Kaito say that. 'He… just wants to be with Miku… I… I… I don't feel good. He gave me his scarf, but was he just being nice? Why… why'd he say it like that? Does, does he really mean it?'

Meiko, on the other hand, had grin growing across her face. "Oh yeah, it's all gonna be mine. Senpai's are never wrong!"

Luka turned to Meiko, having no idea what relevance that had to anything. "What on earth are you saying?"

"N-Nothing! Don't worry about it. Can you believe those two? They only half finished their drinks."

Luka would have inquired about her odd and seemingly random phrase, but her mind shifted back to those two. Kaito's choice of words made her feel so jealous. She remembered all the times he had said a phase that he meant innocently, but sounded like it meant much more. She felt she was the only one who received it besides Kaiko and IA, and they were his sisters. 'But he still gave me his scarf. That means something, right? ...It smells nice.'

The feeling of uncertainty, unable to differentiate between interest or simply a platonic friendship was stressful. And Luka wasn't sure how much more she could take. 'I... I'm gonna try it! I'll ask Kaito to the dance!'

* * *

"Onii-chan! We're gonna be late, what's taking you so long?" Kaiko shouted from the living room.

Kaito had been destroying his room in frantic search of something since morning, and he was running out of time before he had to leave. Kaiko liked to get to school on time so she could mingle with her friends before class started. "I can't find it anywhere! It's missing! My identity, the very core of my existence! Without it I can't live as Kaito Shion!"

"The ice creams in the freezer oni-chan."

"Not that! The other thing!"

"You're scarf?"

"Yes! It's gone!"

"Did you leave it in your pocket again? You always stuff it in there when you're not wearing it."

"I checked them all already! Not there!"

"Where did you have last, onii-chan?"

"I don't know, I had it yester- Luka! She has it! Kaiko, let's go!" Kaito grabbed his sister and raced out the door. Normally he skated to school, but winter weather made it unsafe and impossible anyway. He scooped up IA as usual along the way, and parted with them at the school entrance. 'Luka, Luka, where are you?! My scarf, my scarf!'

Kaito clearly wasn't paying attention or listening to anything while dashing through the halls, because of that, Miku had to yank his coat while chasing after him. "Kaito! I was trying to talk to you!"

"Whoa, my bad Miku. I'm kinda in a rush, what's up?"

"Well, there's something I want to ask you, if you got a sec."

"Sure, but I really want to get my scarf back as soon as I can. So what is it?"

Miku gulped. It was the same every time. It was nerve racking when you try to confess to someone indirectly. You wanted to get your point across, but not be so blunt and awkward about it. Even for Miku, saying something like 'will go out with me' wasn't something that could be said light-heartedly. It required courage that needed to be mustered up over time and the heart to be able to handle the outcome, whatever it may be. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the dance with me?"

"Miku, we're all going, remember? Yesterday, we-"

"That's not what I meant! When I said that… I meant we go together, just us. Like Meiko said, a trial date. Or, I mean a regular date. I wanna… get to know how you and I are... together. It's no big deal if you don't want too."

Kaito stood there nonchalantly, staring at her. At least, that's what it looked like from the outside. On the inside, Kaito exe. froze. His mind was in an infinite loop of the word 'uh' over and over again. He wasn't prepared for this; heck, he never expected someone could feel that way about him. Eventually his brain starting running again and broke out of that loop. 'Oh man, oh man, oh man! What do I do? What am I supposed to do? How much time passed?! Crap, I'm a frickin idiot if I've been standing here saying nothing to a question! Think brain! I need something to say! Oh no, she's sad! I gotta say something, but I can't think of anything! Gah, screw it! Whatever comes out is good enough!' "Yes!" Kaito was genuinely surprised with his answer, though more by the way he sounded when he answered. He sounded so lame squeaking out a yes; was he a mouse?

There was one more concern he had, and it was that he might have taken too long to answer. Miku wasn't looking at him, and Kaito doubted that something that interesting was happening on the floor. Had he messed up already? He felt a light pound on his chest from Miku, though it didn't hurt, it knocked the wind out of him. Well, scared it out to be more precise. Miku lifted her head up with a smile, wiping away a tear from her eye. "Geez, you're mean. If you're gonna say yes, then don't take so long."

"S-sorry! I just didn't expect that. Never thought that you were interested in me."

"No excuses, you're a meanie. So you better make it up to me this Friday!" Miku teased.

Kaito smiled brightly. "Y-Yeah! I will!"

"I look forward to it then! Oh, I remembered I gotta do something now, I'll see you in class!" Miku waved as she jogged away.

Kaito waved back, his mind drifted back to what just happened. A girl had asked him out; A girl had actually asked him. Kaito was feeling so many things at that moment he wasn't sure how he felt at all, even after saying yes. Whether or not that's how he really felt didn't matter at this point. If he were to date anyone, he'd be glad Miku was the one he dates. He knew she was a good person and they got along great. Kaito was so immersed in thought, he completely forgot what he was doing before. Since he couldn't focus enough to remember, he went to class and just hoped he'd remember later on.

Meanwhile, Miku ran straight to the clubroom and slammed opened the door. Luckily, Meiko happened to be there working on some new clothing she thought up yesterday. "Meiko! Thank god you're here, I need a huge favor!"

"Mmm… whatcha need?" Meiko asked unenthusiastically. She'd help Miku for sure, but she was more concerned with what she was already doing, so she wasn't too gung ho to help her out. Besides, whenever Miku asked for a 'huge' favor, it was always help with something tedious and time consuming that she didn't want to do alone.

"I need you to make me a dress for Friday's dance!"

Meiko shot her down instantly. "No, not happening." Meiko was strict when it came to her custom outfits. They were made only to match songs they made. She only gave a pass once to Luka, and that's because she didn't have much else to wear in general.

Miku wrapped her arms around Meiko's legs and begged. "Please, Meiko! I really really need one badly!"

"And why exactly do you need one so bad?"

Miku diverted her eyes from Meiko and blushed furiously. "Ah, you know... cause of stuff."

"If you're not telling me, I'm not making you a dress."

"But Meiko! It's really important! I don't wanna tell anyone yet but I'll say it after Friday. I promise!"

Meiko pondered what could be so important about having an exceptionally nice dress for Friday's dance, and the reason why Miku won't reveal it. It only took a few seconds for Meiko to put two and two together. 'Oh! Ohhh! Oh. Oooohhhhh!' "Alright, stand up and let me measure you. I need to make sure if you grew recently or not." Miku squealed in delight and assumed the normal measuring position. "So what kind of image are you wanting the dress to give you? Sexy, playful, innocent?" Meiko asked as she wrapped her measuring tape around certain areas.

"Mmm, I guess… I wanna look older. Yeah, older and more mature! But beautiful too!"

"That's a bit difficult. Nothing against you, but something like that doesn't sync up with you too well. How bout this, I'll base it around your usual cuteness, but I'll use black and purple. Black is a really good formal color when it comes to dress, there's the little bit of maturity you're looking for. I'll only use a little purple on the dress to kind of give it an edge of sorts. Purple can be a real good edgy color if used right. With you, it'll make people think 'wow, she's so innocent, but that dress is making me think she might be a little flirtatious.' That'll drive em nuts!"

"You're gonna make it that amazing?! Meiko, you're the best!"

Meiko smirked as she finished with Miku's final measurements. "Alright, nothing's changed. I'll have it ready by thursday."

"Wait a sec…"

"If you're worried about the time frame, I know it isn't that much time but I can handle it."

"No, that's not it… I haven't grown at all? Anywhere?"

Meiko cringed. 'Not this again…'

* * *

The giant spot of graphite on Luka's paper grew larger and darker as class droned on. She mindlessly went back and forth with her pencil, looking like she was taking notes, when class was the last thing on her mind. Luka was lucky the object of her interest was even less attentive than usual or she'd die from embarrassment. It was painfully obvious that Luka had been glancing at Kaito all day. Each time she looked his way, her heart skipped a beat and she jerked her head back.

Luka had been contemplating since the morning how she would ask Kaito to go with her to the dance. She went through several scenarios in her head on her approach and looked to Kaito each time it ended. Every time she shook it off and tried to think of something that would work better, but it always ended the same. For someone like Kaito, she had to be as blunt and direct as possible or else he'd find some way to misinterpret it into something innocent.

She needed to tell him soon, she needed a favor from someone and it required a certain amount of time to complete and asking it depended on whether or not she got a yes. Plus, she didn't want to ended up asking when it's too late, and someone else asks him out. She didn't want to lose him; twiddling her thumbs, knowing she did not have all the time in the world to make her move. She was terrified though.

Rejection; Luka feared it so much. She had more fear and insecurity in her than courage and confidence. A dark, sinister voice kept echoing in her head. 'Why would he say yes? He has better people to pick. Does he really care about you that much? He'll find it funny you even asked. He never once treated you special, he's nice to everyone. You hated his guts in the beginning, and he'll never forget that.' The voice in her head grew louder and darker, throwing Luka down a spiral of despair. She put her head down on her desk and buried it in her arms. She kept turning her head left and right, like she was having a bad dream.

"Sensei, can I take Luka to the nurse? I don't think she's feeling well."

* * *

Luka finished being examined by the school nurse as she jolted down one more thing in her clipboard. "You seem perfectly healthy. If you don't feel well, feel free to stay here and rest until you do. Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I have a meeting to attend to and I'm late as is. I'll be back in a few minutes. And as for you, Kaito; you better not try anything funny, got it? In fact, I expect you back in class by the time I get back." The nurse directed that last comment to the known blue haired troublemaker.

"Yes mam!" The nurse gave a skeptical look before slowly backing out. She didn't trust someone like Kaito around her patient because of what he had done throughout the year, but she had no choice but to leave her patient here. "I don't think she likes me too much." Kaito stated.

Luka nodded as she sat on the side infirmary bed. "You don't have the best reputation with teachers anymore."

"Yeah, I have been bombing it since day one. But are you really okay? You looked real bad back there."

"Yeah, just a daydream gone bad."

"Does that make it a day-mare?"

Luka giggled at that. "Did you really just say that? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I did! It's a thing now! In fact, I'm going to start making new words for everything. Give it that Kaito flare!" Kaito proudly proclaimed.

"You give off enough of your own flare already; There's only so much people can handle." Luka teased. "By the way… here." Luka took off the blue scarf she 'borrowed' and wrapped it around Kaito. "I'm surprised you haven't asked for it back yet."

Kaito laughed nervously. "You know, I was going psycho this morning looking for it, but it somehow slipped my mind once I got here. I forget important stuff way too easily." Kaito stood up and stretched. "Anyways, I have to go back to class. Nurse gave me a time limit for being here; Guess she knows I'd stay all day and ditch class with you. Rest up and get better, k?"

Luka nodded in response. "I'll try my best."

Kaito walked up to the nurse's office exit and turned his head. "Let me walk you home after school, k? I wanna make sure you get home safe."

Luka nodded. So warm. She felt so warm, light, and full of energy. When Kaito says such sweet, innocent things to her, she felt it. Her feelings growing, her emotions relaxing and coming out freely from inside her. Luka decided this was the moment, she would ride on the short burst of happiness Kaito had ignited in her and put her feelings on the line. With a quick, deep breath she shouted in a high pitch voice that grew higher the longer she continued. "Kaito, will you be my date to the dance, I wanna date you, I really like you romantically and I want you to like me back romantically too!" Luka jolted her gaze to the floor and covered her mouth. 'I can't believe I just said that! T-there's no going back, and I feel like I jumped the gun way too soon! Oh god, what if he was going to ask someone else soon? Or worse, he's already taken! N-no, no way! We just decided yesterday to go, no chance of that, right?' While Luka mind was in utter turmoil, she failed to notice her source of distress walking toward her.

Kaito gently brushed off her hands from her mouth, getting her to look up reflexively. Luka met Kaito's eyes, inches from her's. His gaze seemed completely devoid of any brain activity, as if he switched to an unadulterated state, which he could only be completely sincere with his emotions. "You really mean that?" A simple yes couldn't come out the pinkette's lungs. She used all the courage she had in that short burst confession. She violently nodded to compensate for her lack of words. Kaito spoke extremely soft, but his voice could be heard as if it were the only sound in the world. "If you'll let me, I'd like to take you." Luka kept violently nodding, fighting back the tears of joy welling up inside her.

"Kaito Shion, what did I say to do when I got back?!"

Kaito sprung up from Luka and jolted out the door. "Sorry, mam! I wasn't doing anything bye!"

Luka was angry yet thankful that the nurse showed up then and there. Though she ended their moment, Luka's face was about turn into a tomato, and her neck was starting to hurt from her full power nods. Honestly, she hadn't a clue what do now that she made it that far. Better it got cut short before something awkward or embarrassing unfolds. The nurse walked over and pulled the curtain in front of Luka, and went back to her chair to do paperwork. "Rest up and leave when you're feeling better. Ok?"

"Y-yes mam! Thank you mam!" Luka rolled over and started squealing into her pillow. 'I did it! I did it, I did it, I did it!'

Kaito was jogging back to class, his mind vividly replaying what just transpired at the nurse's office. He opened the door back to his classroom and silently made his way back to his seat. He sat there pondering about Luka. 'She really likes me… wow…' Kaito couldn't help his stupid grin from forming on his face. He was just so damn happy, he couldn't help it. Luka wanted a relationship with him, she wanted him. Feeling wanted just gives someone a whole lot joy that's hard to keep in, especially from someone you cared a lot for. Luka had a special place in his heart; someone that he could relate with his inner thoughts and feelings. He could get along with others, but he always felt walked slightly out of line then most. Luka may not exactly walk that far out of line, but she felt just close enough that they could reach each other. Kaito pocket vibrated, and stopped his train of thought. He took out his phone and checked his text. *Is Luka ok?* Kaito looked over to Miku and gave her a thumbs up. And in that brief moment, Miku's smile of relief injected a small bit of information he forgot and was then hit with the full blow guilt and panic of what he had just done. 'Oooohhhh…. Nnnnnnooooooooooooooo….'

Luka jogged to the clubroom after class, hoping to find Meiko before anyone else. Kaito told her an emergency came up, and apologized that he couldn't walk her home. Luka was more than fine with this, since she needed to talk to Meiko before anything. Surprising enough, Meiko was actually the only one there, designing another one of her custom outfits, Luka hopped over and peered over her shoulder. "Hey, working on something new?" She inquired.

"Yeah, trying to figure out how long the skirt should be for this one is tricky. Mmm, should it have a sort of fluffy feel and have the skirt naturally stand away from her legs, or flat and stick to em'?" Meiko asked herself.

"I feel bad asking this since you're already working on one, but would you mind making a custom one for me?"

"No way, I got my hands full with this one." She responded flatly.

"I know, b-but please, please, c-can you make one for me?" Luka pleaded.

Meiko sighed, put her sketchpad down, spun her chair around, and propped her head up on her hand. "Do you really need a new one?"

"Yes, please."

Meiko sighed once more. Luka wasn't like Miku, she would only persist when it really meant something; which she rarely did, so Meiko would cave in much faster. "Alright, what's it for and when do you want it?"

Luka grasped Meiko hands and hopped in place happily. "Thank you, Meiko! It's for the dance this Friday. I want something isn't too revealing, but you can't take your eyes off me."

'Great, two custom, top of the line dresses due by the end of the week. Challenge accepted.' "Oh, ho ho, have a special someone that you going with? Come on, out with it, who is it?"

"W-w-well, that's n-n-n-not r-really impor-"

"Ok, not making the dress then."

"But you just said you would!"

"Not if you're too chicken to tell me." 'You and Miku with your tight lips. It's pretty damn obvious too, just admit it to us, everyone pretty much knows who likes who.'

"Meiko, please!" Luka teared.

"One guess. I get one guess, and if I'm right you have to admit it. Deal?" Luka paused for a bit before begrudgingly accepting her terms. Meiko smirked at her, and began to circle around her. "Hehe, trapped you. To be honest, I've been suspicious of you for a for a while now. I already know." Luka squeaked and stiffed up at her statement. "You really thought someone like me wouldn't figure it out? No matter how hard you made it look like that you two would never be a thing, I knew better. I looked toward the future." Luka started sweating feverishly. She wasn't ready to admit it yet, but Meiko had that look of certainty, and it terrified her. "It was only a matter of time till something came up and made one of you act! You and Gakupo finally got together!"

Luka tilted her head and looked at her blankly. "Meiko, we've been over this, we're just friends."

Meiko got up close to Luka's face and put on her best delinquent expression. "Don't you lie to me bastard. You know what happens to liars, right?"

Luka put her hands up. "I'm serious. You really wasted your guess on that."

"Oh, rrreally?" Meiko took out her phone and speed dialed someone. "Hey, Gakupo. I got a quick question for ya. Who you taking to the dance? … Eh? Whadda ya mean you're not going? Family event? This Friday? Really? All day? Oh… I see. Sorry to bother you."

"Told you."

Meiko fell back and collapsed on her chair. "H-how? No, who? Who could… the world… makes no sense anymore."

"So, you're gonna make it, right?" Luka asked.

"Y-yeah. Assume the position, I'm taking your measurements." While Meiko took her measurements, her mind could not fathom this. 'How? How are those two not going together? No, better question, who the hell could make Luka of all people willing to go on a date like this? A date at all? Hell, how could he get her interested? Kiyoteru? No, they only talked a handful of times, Luka's way too cautious. Dang it, nothing comes to mind. Well, it least I still won the bet.'

_Flashback_

"_You wanna bet on it pipsqueak?" Meiko Challanged. "Hell, yeah! 50,000 yen!" Rin roared backed. "Miku and Luka are totally gonna get together by the end of the school year!" "Rin, none of us here have that kind of money." Len stated. "Who cares? When Kaito and Miku are an item, I'm gonna be fricken rich!" Meiko boasted._

Meiko smirked to herself. 'Silly Rin has no idea about the inner workings of love. Miku and Luka? Don't make me laugh. Those two have been besties way too long to do something like that. Ah, wonder how I should burn through all that cash?' "Ok, done."

Luka twirled around. "Thanks, Meiko. I really appreciate this."

"Appreciate what?" Miku popped into the conversation as she entered the room.

Luka blushed. "N-nothing really."

"If anything I didn't get enough appreciation from you, Miku." Meiko remarked. "Since I'm going all out ma-"

"Ah, yaahhh! Ssshhh!" Miku screamed

"Don't 'sshh' me! Luka, I think I'll finish yo-"

"Ah! No, stop!" Luka painicked.

"What is up with you two interrupting me? And stop blushing so much it's not embarrassing." Luka and Miku both gave a quick glance to each other, to see if the other was blushing and quickly looked away after confirming. Meiko looked at them in bewilderment. 'What is wrong with those two. Wait… No…' "Hey, so the dance this Friday, you two asking anybody ou-" They both shrieked at her and then averted their gaze elsewhere. 'No, no, no. No. This is not happening.' "Anything special about Friday that changed from yesterday?"

Luka spoke softly. "We should just wait and see on Friday…" Luka did not want any info about asking Kaito to the dance to ruin the event with everyone's pestering before they got there. She wanted things to play out naturally between him and her.

"Yeah, let's not talk about it till after the dance." Miku added. Miku didn't want anyone ruining it by bothering her and Kaito constantly during the dance. It may be a party, but she wants to feel like she's the only one there with Kaito.

'Oh… Oh my god…. Oh my god damn god. I. Owe. Rin. So. Much. Money.'

* * *

"Kaito, I love ya man, but you're so fucking stupid." YOHIOLOID said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I know, okay! I wasn't thinking! This is all new, and I just reacted! I was just so damn happy a girl wanted to date me! What do I do?! How do I fix this?!" Kaito screamed as he got on his knees and waddled across the rug of YOHIOLOID's living room.

"Easy, let them stab you after you break the news, and don't forget to call an ambulance in advance."

"What!? Isn't that too far?!"

"Doesn't matter if it's too far or not, it's what they're most likely gonna do."

"They wouldn't!"

"Kaito, you have no idea how far a pissed off chick will go. No idea. I have seen shit. I've been on the receiving end of shit. Either way, you're screwed because they're both gonna hate your guts."

"Both?! Can't I just apologize to one and stay with the other?"

"Nope, not when you accepted both of their confessions. Are you that retarded? Doesn't matter who asked first, who you like more, which you don't even know; Any explanation you can try to think of to rationalize your solution won't matter. They will feel betrayed, that fact won't change, and it'll all keep going downhill from there. I'm sorry Kaito, but that's how this is going to play out."

Kaito started to panic, a crazed smile taking over. "No, no, no, I can fix this. I can make everyone happy! I can do it!"

YOHIOLOID panicked. That part of Kaito was showing again. "Kaito, get a grip! You can't-"

Kaito got up and started leaving. "It's ok, I got this! I'll make everyone happy! If they're happy, everything's good! I just gotta give them what they want!" Kaito shut the door behind him.

The crippled blonde bit his lip in frustration. He quickly grabbed the remote on the table and chucked it hard. 'Damn it! Why does it have to go back to this!? God damn you, Leia! You manipulative bitch! You broke Kaito and the effects are still there! He's going to ruin everything he's got going for him because what you did to him!' YOHIOLOID angrily wheeled himself in circles.

Kaito couldn't help himself, he had to make sure everyone else was happy, even at the expense of himself. If he made everyone happy, then in turn he thought he would be, at the very least, accepted back. If he messed up, Kaito would do anything anyone said to fix it, no matter the cost. The blonde hoped that bad habit had gone away, but it seemed it just hadn't a good chance to resurface.

Truth was, YOHIOLOID always kept tabs on Kaito, nothing too informative, but enough to accurately pin his behavior. It's sadden him that the real Kaito was still buried deep in his own psyche, only coming out in small time frames. That goofy and energetic Kaito is a complete fake, an act to blend in and seem harmless, but still relevant in a group. The real Kaito was someone that rarely talked, nodded and tagged along, and barely participated at all in activities. He just enjoyed being there. The real Kaito was extremely low maintenance and hardly required anything from the group. So with all the attention and affection he receives now, his people pleasing complex takes over and he'll go out his way to do either assist or fix.

The big problem wasn't that this would end up utterly detrimental to Kaito's mental health, it was that eventually a conflict of interest would happen. One imposing on the other, denying the other, ignoring the other, putting one down while elevating the other. It was inevitable. Kaito would build an illusion up and try to maintain it for everyone, then it would collapse on itself, hurting him and anyone in close proximity that was happily smiling at said illusion. YOHIOLOID came to a slow stop and bit his thumb to try and subdue the frustration. "I should've killed Leia sooner… why did that accident have to come so late! Why… didn't I do it on purpose…" The handicapped blonde let out a sigh in defeat. "Who knows? Maybe it'll all work out. Either way, I need to be there for him if shit hits the fan. I am... his real best friend."

* * *

No one could explain it. Absolutely no one. But somehow, someway, Kaito made it to Friday without anyone finding out that he's taking Miku and Luka to the dance, on a date, at the same time. Unfortunately, that was only one of many problems he had to deal with. He still had to figure out how he was going to pick both of them up, without a time disparity in between, or a random, crappy excuse to leave for a long period of time; On a date no less.

But it seemed the gods heavily favored Kaito at the moment because the next two texts he just received gave him the solution to his problem. Unknown to Kaito, Meiko had fallen a bit behind the dresses she had been making, and texted Miku and Luka when they could pick up their dresses. The texts Kaito got from them said that they'd meet him there. And the best part? There was an hour difference. Miku first, Luka second. He was glad no one else from the club besides him, Meiko, Miku and Luka were going; Much less variables to manage.

'I am the luckiest guy on earth right now.' Kaito looked himself in the mirror in his room. His outfit (Guilty) felt so foreign to him. Kaiko and IA picked it out for him, and he had no complaints with their taste. In fact, he thought he looked very classy. Kaito wasn't used to this type of image on himself since he never wore anything remotely nice on himself before. 'I hope I look good enough for both of them.' The blue haired teen took a deep breath and exhaled. "This isn't a night I can act like a dumb goof. Time to be serious."

* * *

Kaito waited by the DJ, leaning against the wall while scanning the gymnasium. It was almost seven, so Miku would show up any minute. Kaito looked all over, but he couldn't find the appeal that school dances had. The options were limited and boring. Dance, chat, take pictures. He could do those at anytime, anywhere. The only thing that really stood out was all the lights and decorations, but not much else. 'I don't get it. It seems like a waste of time and money.'

The bored blue felt a tap on his right shoulder, so he twisted his head to find Miku (Innocent) looking up on him shyily. "Hey."

Kaito looked her up and down, the dress was so hard to describe. It was cute, but beautiful; innocent yet alluring. That combo of black and purple was flawlessly incorporated into Miku. "I think I'm starting to get it."

"Get what?"

"Ah!? Sorry, I was thinking out loud. You… look amazing. Anyway, now that you're here…" Kaito got off the wall, grabbed Miku's hand with his, and pulled her to the dance for with him. "Let's dance."

The song was a slower paced one, so they both waltzed together. Of course Kaito lead and Miku followed; it just felt strange to Miku. Strange, but a good strange. So she had to say something. "Kaito… you're different from usual."

"Am I? How so?"

"Nothing bad, just surprising." Kaito twirled Miku around, then pulled her closer to him. Miku laid her head against his chest, blushing from his and her bold moves. "I like it."

"Glad you like it."

"I know this'll sound weird, but I wanna show you more of me."

"Really?"

"Yep. There's more to me then smiles and giggles. You'll see, I'll make you."

* * *

**"_I'll make you." A pink haired girl said as she sat atop of a Kaito. Her face lowered down, closing the distance to his face. She used one hand to cup his cheek, while slipping the other down his pants. "Just let it happen Kaito. You'll ruin everything unless you keep listening to me, ok? Please me, and everything will be fine."_**

* * *

Kaito shot back to reality. He checked his surroundings frantically for a few seconds before settling down. He wondered how long he was out. The same song wasn't playing, but is was still a slow one, so he was still dancing with Miku. The blue teen's heart starting pumping faster as sweat began to roll down his neck. 'I know our friendship wasn't the best but… she didn't do anything like that to me right? S-she didn't; she couldn't! Leia didn't… my memories from three years ago, nothing like that happened! I remember it all perfectly, she never loved me; she rejected me, she never did anything to me…'

"Kaito, wanna take a break from dancing and just talk?" Miku asked.

Kaito shook off his dark thoughts. Tonight his focus was Miku, so he had to give all his attention to her. "Sure, we can dance again later."

Some time passed as the two chatted, then Miku asked a question that sent Kaito into panic mode. "Hey, when do you think Meiko and Luka are gonna show up?"

That question reminded Kaito the grave situation he was in. It wasn't just Miku he had to focus on tonight. He quickly checked his phone. Luka was going to be here in about fifteen minutes, and he had no excuse to leave, or distract Miku for long while he spent time with Luka. As if God came to solve his dilemma he got a phone call from Meiko, demanding that he come to the clubroom right away. Her sewing machine broke, and she needed it working again asap. Miku surprisingly urged him to go and fix it. Miku actually remember that machine started to make some unpleasant sounds when Meiko was putting the final touches on hers, so she felt responsible for it's current condition.

Kaito rushed to the clubroom, but the second he stepped through the door, he was grabbed by the collar and shaking frantically by the most aggressive female he knew. At least she wasn't doing it out of anger, but panic instead. Kaito went to work on it right away. After a few minutes he figured what was wrong. A thin wire snapped, so there was no connection to send the power to any of the moving parts. "I need some copper wire and electrical tape."

Meiko scratched her head furiously. "Gaahh! I don't have any of that! Look, could you do a temporary fix, I just need to use it for a few more minutes!"

Kaito pondered a bit. 'Well, I could tie the two ends by hand, but it'll be a bit stretched and the vibrations from the machine will make it come undone in no time.' "I got something that could work, but you'll have five minutes at best."

"That's perfect more than enough! Get on it already! Crap, where's that red thread spool?"

Kaito sighed as he did a quick fix. Whatever Meiko needed to make must have been important. The floor was covered with clothes, threads, needles, designs etc. She was always so orderly with them. "Done. I'll see yo-"

"Go to the drama club's room and get me some of their red thread! I can't find mine! Now!"

Kaito put his hands up and backed away slowly. "Ok, calm down. I'm going, I'm going." Kaito jogged out to do Meiko's bidding.

Meiko scrambled through her supplies. "Damn, I was just using the damn thing! Where'd it..? Wait..." Meiko checked her sew machine. "Ah yeah, it was already loaded in there. Whoops." Meiko finished the dress just before the machine died out. "Whew, cutting that way too close."

The door creaked open slowly, with a bob of pink hair popping in. "Meiko, is it safe to come in?" Luka knew better than to barge in while Meiko was in the midst of dressmaking while stressed. Her request really pushed her to do high quality work in a very limited time frame, so odds were she was ready to lash out at anything she could.

The brunette exhaled and laid back while holding the dress up high. "It.. is done."

Luka squealed while running inside and grasping Meiko hand. "Thank you, Meiko! You have no idea how much this means to me."

Meiko smirked while averting her eyes. 'Oh I'll find out in a bit. Still never could've seen you crushing on Miku coming.' "Anyway, since I know how shy you are with changing, I'll just step outside. Hurry, don't wanna make your date wait." Meiko said as she toss her dress to Luka.

Meiko waited outside, pondering how to not be a third wheel. 'Gah, it'll look so lame shadowing Miku and Luka on their date. Mmm… maybe I'll ask Kaito on a date tonight just for funzies. He didn't mention having a date so he should be free. Gah, I can't believe I forgot to get a date when I brought the damn thing up.'

As if on cue, the black and blue boy came back with red thread in his hand. "I finally found som-"

"Oh, I found it. Left it in the machine. Silly me."

"I… whatever. Anything else before I go?" "

Yeah, actually. I forget to bring a date since I was so busy. Wanna be my-" Before Meiko could finish, Luka (Amour) stepped out of the clubroom and between them. Luka jumped from Kaito's presence. She was expecting to meet him at the dance, not here, so she was caught a bit off guard. Meiko shrugged her question off for now, she could ask later. Right now, she really wanted to get changed before anything. "Hey, I'm gonna pick out one of my outfits, I'll be a bit so you guys can head out now if you want." She said as she went inside and shut the door.

Luka quickly collected herself and faced Kaito. "You surprised me. I thought I'd meet you at the dance."

Kaito dropped the red spool in his hand. 'Wow…' Kaito stood there in awe of the sight before him. This beautiful girl in front of him in black, with a bit of pink and red mixed in, was simply captivating. Her creamy white legs, thin waist, moderately exposed upper chest. Kaito was feeling not only his usual appreciation for her regular beauty, but lust as well. Extreme lust. The hormonal teenager inside him closed the distance between them and cupped her face.

Luka's race redden drastically. 'E-Eh?! Is he? Aren't we moving a bit too fast?! Should I just go along?!'

Kaito stared at her intently, but the second he started leaning in, he came back in control. 'What the hell was I about to do?! Oh god, why would I pull something like that?! Being way to careless! I really don't want to piss her off by doing something she doesn't want.' Kaito broke away and took a step back. "Sorry, I zoned out there and went on autopilot."

Luka shook her head, and went and hooked her arms around Kaito's right arm. "It's fine. Let's not worry about about stuff like that. If things… play out like that… it's fine." Luka whispered out. In that brief moment, being the center of Kaito's desires was euphoric. She still had a faint tint of red in her cheeks, but a small smile along with it.

Kaito gulped. 'S-she's ok with that? Wow.'

* * *

Surprisingly enough, they didn't go straight to the gymnasium. Instead, they went to the garden to the side of the building. The weather to took a surprising turn later in the week. Snow that wasn't cleared still lingered around in decent sized piles, but it was pleasantly cool. They were actually able to enjoy the snowy scenery without putting up with the absurd cold and wind. It was Luka's idea to go there. You could easily still hear music from the dance, and they had the whole garden to themselves.

The start of another slow song came on. Kaito separated from Luka's arms and grabbed her hand. "May I have this dance?"

Luka blushed slightly, but gave a small smile. "Wow, you're… really giving me special treatment." She locked her other hand with his and they began to waltz.

"I have class when I want to." He replied. Kaito twirled her around. "And that wasn't special treatment. I just wanted to be like that to you." Kaito twirled her once more, but she stopped half way. Grabbing his over free hand with her's and pulled them to her. This made Luka's back make contact with Kaito's chest.

She laid back against it while he swayed side to side. "I still want it." She whispered.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you. Whatcha say?"

Luka took a deep breath. "I said I want it. Your affection."

Kaito blushed madly. Luka being so direct lately wasn't something he was used to. The pinkette was usually more reserved than this, but she wasn't shying away or passively going along. It wasn't something he knew how to act and left him confused; unable to answer. 'Uhh… w-what?'

Luka paced her breathing. She was preparing to speak to Kaito from the heart. Every event she could remember with him, Kaito was the one who took the lead any conversation they had that went deeper, more substantial. He always opened just a small portion of himself to her to see and in return, so did she. But there was one thing that constantly bothered Luka. She never truly felt like she knew Kaito. She felt closer, but to what was anyone's guess. A happy go lucky fool? A reliable older sibling? A mischievous troublemaker with a dark past that were only known in fragments? Someone who longs for meaningful connections with others? Who was Kaito Shion? Somewhere along the line, she must have saw who he really is, even it was only for a fleeting moment. Kaito Shion, she wanted to see the real him, know the real him; And the only way to do that was to put herself out there and ask. "Kaito… I want to get to know you. I know it sounds weird, but sometimes, I don't think I know you at all."

Kaito panicked a bit, the guilt apparent in his voice. "I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"No, don't be. That's not what I meant. If anything, I feel guilty. You know me so well. From my situation at home, you were so accepting and understanding. Yet, the support you gave without getting to involved like I wanted, it's so much. But I haven't done much of anything to deserve it. I feel comfortable around you. So I think, the least I can do is get to know the real you. I'll accept you no matter what so… you don't have to try so hard. So whatever you want to do with me, I'm… ok with it. Just be you."

Kaito couldn't respond to that. It shook him more than he could handle. Things were starting to fall apart in his mind. 'Real me? That's… I'm... '

* * *

**"_Just be what I need you to be, ok?" Leia wrapped her arms from Kaito's torso from behind. "I'll keep loving you as long as you're what I need. So don't stop trying for me." "Anything for you… Leia."_**

* * *

'No, no! I'm… not that! Right? None of that happened! I'm not just tool, I'm… I don't... remember… anymore…' Kaito memories were failing him. They brought things up that he blocked out and edited, but never recalled what he needed to know. "I don't think I know me."

"That's fine." Luka gripped his hand a little harder. "I'll help you if you need it. I'm right here."

Kaito's heart started to beat faster and his instincts were overriding his rationality. He released himself from her grip and turned her to him, face to face. Luka blushed as Kaito's gaze locked onto her eyes. His hand cupped her cheek, slowly pulling her in toward him. 'Is he?! Already?! I thought we were moving a bit fast but…. does it matter?' Luka's eyes began to soften, remembering past embraces. Hugs, and occasional brushes against each other's hand was as far as they gone before. She wanted more. She couldn't care less for her comfort zone right now, her desire for Kaito almost erased it. She closed her eyes, and waited for him. "Kaito…"

Kaito's vision got darker, seeing only Luka in front of him. That's when he saw it. The blood, splattered all across her throat. Fear encapsulated him as more things changed about the person before him. The dress wasn't the same. Plain black, coated in more blood. He couldn't see her eyes anymore, only a crooked smile. **"_Come Kaito. Fall in love again. I promise you'll be controlled better this time. Love me again."_** Kaito's head started pounding; he broke away from Luka, unable to withstand the pain.

"Kaito? Are you…" Luka opened her eyes, shocked to find Kaito on his knees, gripping his head in pain. "Kaito! Are you okay?!"

Slowly, but surely the pain subsided, and the hallucinations faded away. Kaito regulated his breathing, coming back to reality. "What just happened?"

"I don't know, you just seemed like you were in a lot of pain. Are you going to be alright? Should I get help?"

"No, I''ll be alright. My headache is almost gone." 'If I can even call it that. Why did I see Leia there? Luka and Leia are two completely different people. I know this, so why? Why am I seeing her instead of Luka? Am I using her as a replacement for Leia because they look similar? Why, why is she there!?'

"Kaito, are you sur-"

"There you are, Kaito!" A voice came afar. Kaito and Luka looked up to find Miku jogging over to them. "I've been looking all over for you, you been gone for a while since you went to help Meiko. Hey, Luka! I was wondering when you were going to show up. Why are you both kneeling?"

Kaito's worst case scenario was unfolding before him. How? How can he stop this train wreck? His mind abandoned him, leaving him only to react as things transpired. "Kaito's head started hurting really badly. He's says it's-"

Kaito's pain fully subsided now, so he stood up and showed he had recovered fine. "I'm good, my brain short circuited for a bit, but I'm good."

Miku sighed in relief. "Oh, that's good. I'm glad it's no big deal."

Luka looked worryingly at him. "Are you sure?" Kaito flashed her a wide smile. Though still a bit skeptical, she felt reassured with his smile. "I guess you're fine if you're smiling like that. But Miku why are out here?" 'Doesn't she have a date?'

"Looking for Kaito. He left a while ago and I went to find him. It was just me and him at the dance before." Kaito went as white as a ghost. His wrongdoings were soon coming to light. They were closing in, and the weight of the situation felt even heavier on him. "Why are you out here? Kinda odd."

"Oh… well…" Luka went quiet for a second. They would find out eventually, so she mustered up the courage and told Miku now. "I'm on a date with Kaito."

Miku's eyes widened before snickering, and smiling widely. "Nice joke, no one would expect you to say something like that. Almost thought you were serious. Anyway, let's head back Kaito. They're going to stop taking pictures soon. I wanna get one with you." Miku grabbed his hand and began to take him with her.

Kaito panicked even more. 'Am I just leaving without saying a word?'

Luka's hand grabbed his other and stopped them from leaving. "That wasn't nice, Miku. I'm serious, Kaito's on a date with me. You can't just take him away like you usually do. He's... mine tonight."

Miku turned to Luka, a bit miffed at her statement. Kaito was her's tonight and Luka wasn't making any sense. "Nooo, he's mine tonight. I asked him out Monday and he said yes. Tell her Kaito."

Kaito throat dried up, unable to speak. He frantically look and forth between both of them, unable to respond.

Luka tugged his arm hard, pleading. "Kaito, say something!"

"I… I just- I mean- both of you are-!" Kaito froze when he stuttered out that last part. He put his final nail in his own coffin.

Both girls went wide eyed, slowly turning to each other. They stared at each other. Examining the dress each begged Meiko to make. They never asked who they were going with, they wanted to be surprised who they found pairing up. Now, all they felt was betrayal.

Luka choked out a question. "Kaito, you… you didn't… did you?"

Kaito kept quiet, lowering his head and staring at his feet.

Miku asked next, anger much more evident in her tone. "Answer one of us already…"

Kaito remained silent.

Miku yanked her hand away and started screaming at him. "How could you!? I trusted you! Am I not enough for you?! Why'd you even say yes?! You could've have said no, but no! You had to have us both! I thought I was something to you, but I guess I'm just some fun you can have right now!" She tried to storm off, but Kaito reached out to her.

The fright in his eyes were vivid. "I just wanted to make you both happy!"

Miku slapped away Kaito hand, running back inside. "Like hell I'd believe that! I- I hate you!"

"But I do!"

Kaito felt Luka's hand leave next. He turned to see her sobbing in her hands. "It was just in my head… You never felt anything for me…" Luka tried to walk pass him, but Kaito stepped in front of her.

"Luka, I-"

Kaito was cut off by Luka, who was violently shaking her head side to side. Her voice was breaking, so she squeezed out what little she could. "No, don't. I don't want to hear you say something like you care about me when you don't. Just… just stay away from me. I... I don't want to see you again." Kaito's arms went limp, and he felt so hollow inside. Luka side stepped his and walked off crying to herself.

He did it to himself. 'I couldn't make everyone happy. I don't deserve anyone if I can't please them. I just wanted to give them both what they wanted.'

* * *

Kaito walked through the streets of town. He didn't head after them, they made it very clear that they wanted nothing to do with him anymore, so he left. The pleasant cool breeze from earlier turned into a chilly one. Not that the cold was bothering him much. Temperature was irrelevant to him. The only thing he felt was regret and pain. The world around him faded, sounds deadened out, he only say darkness around him.

'I just wanted to them to be happy.' Kaito kept repeating this in his mind, but it did nothing to aid his guilt. 'Leia... why isn't it working?! Is this not how I'm suppose to do it!?'

He hurt them more than he ever could have if he had chose. Instead, he tried to make a little fantasy where he could give everyone everything they wanted, but failed to understand that he was only one person that could only give so much. What they both desired was beyond what he could offer.

Even if he did choose just one, what would he be giving? Which act would he play for them? They wanted him, but the real Kaito was buried inside him, only when he was alone or for small, brief instances with company that it came out; and even then people would usually forget the behavior change since it was so short and rare.

He felt a sharp pain in his heart. He gripped the right side of his chest. Something so simple he couldn't do to save his friendship with them.

Another sharp pain spiked in his heart. '_I hate you!'_ 'Please, don't... you're my friend. I don't want to say goodbye. Not again.'

Another spike of pain hit him. '_I don't want to hear you say something like you care about me when you don't.'_ 'But I do. So much that it hurts.'

Pain consumed his heart. It was unbearable, clutching the right side of his chest, he begged for the pain to stop, for his heart stop writhing in agony. 'Why does it hurt so much now?'

Kaito's eyes shot open. 'Wait… my hearts on the left side… why…' Kaito looked down at his chest. The tip of a blade was sticking out of his right breast. He noticed three other small holes with blood slowly seeping out. "Whaa…"

The knife was yanked out from his backside. Kaito fell to his knees, then slowly hit the ground. He laid there, writhing in pain. He twisted his head around and stared at the perpetrator. "Why…?"

* * *

**Thanks to:**

**-Cure-chan**

**-frustratedpotato**

**-TheDelta724**

**For reviewing! Masasa out!**


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